Too Marvelous For Words
by Dynamite8
Summary: After all Lizzie has been through, Lizzie decides she doesn’t believe in love. That is, until a certain someone comes back and proves her otherwise. LG
1. Prologue

A/N: Hi, I hope you enjoy my new (and first) story. I do not own Lizzie McGuire.  
  
Summary: After all Lizzie has been through, Lizzie decides she doesn't believe in love. That is, until a certain someone comes back and proves her otherwise.   
  
This might seem a little similar to The Wedding Planner, and it is loosely based on that plot, but there will be major differences.  
  
Too Marvelous For Words  
  
Prologue  
  
Senior Year, College  
  
"Lizzie, you know he's going to do it tonight," Miranda told her twenty-two year old best friend, Lizzie McGuire, "I mean, come on! It's perfect. You and Mark have been together for four years, lived together for two, and have you noticed how nervous he has been acting around you lately?"  
  
"Miranda," Lizzie said, inwardly smiling in her room as she was trying to pick out a dress, "We aren't even out of college."  
  
"So? You'll get married young and have your whole life to live together happily ever after."  
  
Lizzie laughed as she looked at her two dresses that she narrowed down, a black one and a red one, "You don't know that for sure."  
  
"Well, why else would he ask you to go to dinner tonight? Think about it: You are about to graduate and take that job to become a wedding coordinator. It's perfect! You will get married and have your perfect wedding and have your perfect kids and life your dream fantasy."  
  
This amused Lizzie. Of course the thought that a proposal would occur tonight crossed her mind, and of course she knew she was going to say yes, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Although, admittedly, it was hard not to.  
  
After finally settling on the red dress and finishing with her make-up, Miranda saw her out the door, as she was off to meet Mark at the restaurant.  
  
When she got there, she saw Mark, and smiled and waved at him as she walked to meet him. She gave him a hug and she smiled. She could tell he was nervous, and she took that as a good sign. She let go and they sat down.  
  
Not many words were exchanged during the first part of the meal, but Lizzie thought he had something big planned.  
  
After dinner and while they were eating their dessert, Mark finally spoke up, "Liz," he said, and he cleared his throat.  
  
"Hmm?" she said, and she straightened up, knowing that something big was about to come.  
  
But then Mark's face fell, "Baby, we need to talk."  
  
Maybe this wasn't what she thought it was, she thought, realizing that he didn't look like he was about to propose. He actually looked like—no this couldn't be—he looked like he was about to break up with her.  
  
"What is it?" Lizzie asked, convincing herself that it wasn't as bad as it seemed. She put her hand on top of his and waited for him to continue.  
  
Mark, however, took his hand away and looked down at it, "For the past several months, I haven't been very faithful."  
  
Lizzie's face fell, "What do you mean?" She was still trying to convince herself that this was some sort of joke.  
  
"I mean," he said, and he looked up at her, but didn't look her in the eyes, "I've been seeing someone else for the past few months and I've decided that I think you and I should probably break up with each other."  
  
Lizzie's mouth dropped. She couldn't believe this was happening and she didn't know what to say to him.  
  
"Lizzie, please say something," he pleaded.  
  
Lizzie got up from the table, saying nothing, as she walked away from the table.  
  
That night, she called Miranda, sobbing, as she packed her things from Mark and her apartment and went to Miranda's house.  
  
Just as she was about to leave the apartment for good, Mark showed up, and he wasn't alone, either. He had the nerve to bring his girlfriend home. Lizzie starred at him, but said nothing as she left the apartment.  
  
"This will only be temporary, Miranda," she said when she came into Miranda's apartment with her stuff."  
  
Miranda smiled at her friend sympathetically, "Lizzie, you know you can stay here as long as you want," and she gave Lizzie a hug and set up the guest room for her.  
  
---  
  
A Year and A Half Later  
  
"I…can't…believe….Nathan…broke…up…with…me," Lizzie told her mother as she was chopping tomatoes for Thanksgiving dinner.  
  
"Well, he didn't deserve you," Jo said, as she comforted her daughter.  
  
"I know," she said, washing her hands, "I just never knew anyone could be so selfish. We were going out for a year and all the sudden he drops on me that he things his career is more important than his relationship with me."  
  
Jo shook her head, "People like that should marry their jobs."  
  
"Yeah, and you could plan their weddings," Matt said, as he walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Matt!" Jo said.  
  
"Sorry," Matt said, taking a bite of an appetizer on the table, "But she asked for it," he pointed at his older sister with his mouth full.  
  
"Matt, go into the den. I'll call you if I need you!"  
  
Matt sarcastically backed away and turned to go back into the den.  
  
"Well, honey, I know you aren't looking at it like this now, but think of it this way: at least you didn't move in with him."  
  
"True," Lizzie said, "But on the other hand, I feel sorry for Lizzie. When I came to her apartment, I was only expecting it to be temporary. I wasn't expecting to be there now."  
  
"Sweetie, you know you always have a home here!"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Thanks, but I don't think so."  
  
"Well, it was just an offer."  
  
"I appreciate it," Lizzie said, as she got back to preparing the meal.  
  
"Oh! I almost forgot! I ran into Mrs. Gordon the other day. She asked about you and told me that Gordo is working on getting a doctorate in biochemistry."  
  
"I know," Lizzie said, "I ran into him last summer. Who would have thought he would be a mad scientist? What did you tell her about me?"  
  
"I told her you were a wedding coordinator and lived with Miranda," she said.  
  
"What? You didn't tell her that I broke up with a boyfriend? I'm surprised!"  
  
"Lizzie, that's none of her business. Besides, did you know that Gordo was single?"  
  
"MOM!"  
  
"What?" Jo asked, innocently, "You and Gordo dated in high school!"  
  
"Yeah, but that was then and this is now."  
  
"You both have changed."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "I don't care. I'm taking a break from men, anyway."  
  
"Oh, Lizzie!"  
  
"What?" Lizzie asked, "Right now, I don't care if I ever see any men ever again."  
  
"That's nonsense!" Jo remarked.  
  
*  
  
Two Years Later  
  
"You didn't want to marry a dentist, anyway, did you?" Miranda asked, as Lizzie sat in the bridal room, sobbing on what was supposed to be the most magical day of her life.   
  
"I really loved him, though," Lizzie said through her tears.  
  
A soft knock on the door was heard and Miranda went to get it to see that it was Jo. She came in, looked at Lizzie, and then at Miranda, "How is she?"  
  
"How do I look?" Lizzie blubbered, "I'm miserable."  
  
"Is he still here?" Miranda whispered.  
  
"No," she whispered back, "he just left."  
  
"I can't believe he left her at the altar."  
  
"I can hear you two!" Lizzie said, still crying.  
  
Jo looked at her child sympathetically, "I know you can, baby, and I am so sorry that this didn't work out for you. No one should be allowed to treat you like that."  
  
"Mom," she said, "that's not what I need to hear right now."  
  
Jo sighed, "Well," she looked at Miranda, "I'm going to thank all the guests for coming. If you need me, I'll be out there."  
  
Jo left the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
"I hate men," Lizzie said, with utter disgust, "They have done nothing but disappoint me."  
  
"Lizzie," Miranda said, sitting down next to her crying friend, "Not all men are like that."  
  
"Oh yeah? Mark dumped me for another woman, Nathan for his job, and now there is Carl because of his commitment issues. I can't take it anymore. Maybe I wasn't meant to get married."  
  
"Lizzie! Give it time! You are only twenty-five and you have plenty of time to settle down. Look at me! I'm not married!"  
  
Lizzie sighed. She had stopped crying, "I know, but everything was so perfect between us."  
  
"All right," Miranda said, sighing, "Maybe you just need a break from men."  
  
"Ha! No way! I can't take this heartbreak anymore. I am just not going to get married or ever fall in love with anyone."  
  
"Ever?"   
  
Lizzie shook her head, "Nope. I guess I just wasn't meant for love."  
  
*  
  
Two Years After That  
  
Since then, Lizzie lived with Miranda in her apartment. She worked harder than she ever had before at her job and was ranked in Bridal magazines as being one of the top wedding coordinators in the nation. No one could understand why this young, attractive woman wasn't married yet, and people certainly couldn't understand why she wasn't even seeing anyone, but she never gave any explanation.  
  
In the meantime, Miranda had her own boyfriend. She began seeing him around four years ago, or "post Nathan" as it was referred to in the apartment. Lizzie admired them as she could tell they made each other genuinely happy and had the connection she never had with any of the guys she saw. Michael worked as a chef in a restaurant and Miranda was the manager of the restaurant. She had dark hair, and light brown eyes and every time Miranda would com home from a date, Lizzie would roll her eyes and say something like "When's the wedding?" or "Ready to hire me?"  
  
Miranda would usually laugh it off and disappear into her room and Lizzie would get back to her TV movie.  
  
One night in October, however, things changed. Miranda came home and Lizzie did her usual routine of getting up and greeting her, "How is the happy girl tonight?"  
  
Miranda looked at Lizzie and beamed as she showed her the addition on her left hand on the finger next to the pinky.  
  
Lizzie gasped, "Miranda!" she hugged her friend, "He proposed?"  
  
Miranda nodded as she still beamed.  
  
"Oh, Miranda! That's so sweet!"  
  
Miranda smiled, "I know! Now, if only I could figure out a way to have you coordinate the wedding and be the maid of honor at the same time."  
  
Lizzie gasped as she pulled her into another hug, "Oh, Miranda, I'd be honored!"  
  
"So you think you can do it?" Miranda asked, hopeful.  
  
"Of course! And the best part is, while some people pay me hundreds of thousands of dollars to work on their wedding, you don't have to pay me anything."  
  
Miranda laughed, "You know, Michael has some very cute and not to mention available guys in his family. They will be at the wedding, you know."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Don't even think about it."  
  
*  
  
To Be Continued 


	2. Old Friends

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! This story is probably not the plot you expect precisely, as there are some twists and turns I have planned later that I only discuss with my CDM (Consulted Decision Maker) and that person is sworn to secrecy and even this person's identity cannot be revealed. Happy Easter!!!  
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire. Don't ask me again. I will get violent.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Old Friends  
  
A month after Miranda got engaged, Miranda was at the restaurant she managed working in her office when she heard a knock on the door, "Come in," she said.  
  
The door opened and one of the waitresses appeared, "Excuse me, I hate to bother you but there is a party out there with this guy who asked for a specific drink and claims that it was wrong twice. He now wants to speak to you."  
  
Miranda rolled her eyes, "Well, send him in. There is nothing I love more than a picky person who has nothing else better to do but complain when there is a tiny mistake."  
  
The waitress nodded and exited the office, only a few minutes later to return. Miranda could hear the voices outside of her office, one being the waitress and the other she assumed was the complainer, but when she heard his voice, there was something familiar about it, like she should recognize the person or something.  
  
The door finally opened and the waitress appeared with a man and Miranda looked up and had to do a double take. The man did the same. "G-Gordo?" she asked, questioningly, "Is that you?" Miranda stood up.  
  
"Miranda?" Gordo said, not believing his eyes.  
  
Standing in front of Miranda was an older, more mature version of one of her best friends from her childhood. She looked at the waitress, "Thanks, Diane. I'll take it from here."  
  
The waitress nodded and left and Gordo looked back, "Are all the waitresses this scared of you."  
  
Miranda laughed, "Oh, this is only her second week on the job. She'll be fine," she said and she sat down, trying to get over what was happening, "Sit down," she pointed to the chair across her desk.  
  
Gordo did as he was told and looked around the room, "I didn't know you managed a restaurant."  
  
"Well, I guess we haven't talked recently."  
  
"No, no, I guess not," he said, "I think it's been about two years now, right?"  
  
Miranda nodded her head, "Yeah, at Lizzie's wedding."  
  
"Oh yeah," Gordo said, tensing up, "That was quite a production, huh?"  
  
"Oh, you're telling me," Miranda said, laughing at the memory, "anyway, how have you been?"  
  
Gordo took a deep breath, "Well, I just got a doctorate in biochemistry last May and I was working in labs near San Diego over the summer, but I got offered a job here in LA a few weeks ago, and, well, here I am."  
  
Miranda smiled, nodding her head, "Really? Where are you working?"  
  
"University of Southern California, actually," he said, "I start work in a few days."  
  
"Really?" Miranda asked, "Well, we should celebrate."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes, "Well," he wanted to change the subject, "Are you still with that Michael guy?"  
  
"Actually," Miranda said, holding up her left hand to show her engagement ring, "We are now engaged."  
  
Gordo looked at the ring, "Nice!"  
  
"Yeah," Miranda said, nodding her head, "Actually, he is a chef here."  
  
"Cool, well I have heard wonderful things about this restaurant."  
  
"The roasted duck is great."  
  
Gordo nodded his head, but he looked like he wasn't really paying attention, almost like he had something on his mind.  
  
"Roasted duck? I'll remember that."  
  
"Hey, Gordo?" Miranda said, "how about we go out to lunch or dinner sometime. You can catch up with Lizzie and see Michael again."  
  
"Lizzie?" Gordo said, hearing that name, "She still lives here?"  
  
Miranda laughed, "Yeah, actually she still lives with me."  
  
Gordo grinned, "I would have thought she would have gone far and away after what happened."  
  
"Most people would, but you know Lizzie," she said, "She still coordinates weddings, you know."  
  
"I actually knew that. My ex-girlfriend always told me that if we ever got married, she wanted Lizzie to be in charge."  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, why did you break up with her?"  
  
"Because she wanted to make all these commitments that I wasn't ready for, like marriage or moving in together."  
  
Miranda laughed, she was enjoying talking to Gordo, "Are you seeing anyone now?"  
  
Gordo took in a deep breath, "Well, casually, yeah, but nothing too serious. I didn't have time when I was in school and now that I'm out, I find it hard to find a woman who knows what I want and doesn't want to change it."  
  
Miranda laughed yet again, "You and Lizzie, both! You know, for people that seem to have such potential and direction with their future careers, you both seem to lack direction in other areas."  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes but smiled, "Yeah, I didn't come here to be tormented by you."  
  
"Oh yeah," she said, "What is this I hear about a wrong drink?"  
  
"Oh," Gordo said, ready to present his case, "I ordered an Arnold Palmer, you know? Iced tea and lemonade?"  
  
"I know what it is," Miranda said, getting amused, "Although I did see you as a hard liquor type myself."  
  
"Yeah, apparently so did the waitress, but I was with some people I am working for, and well, I don't want to drink in front of people I hardly know" he said, "anyway, the first time around, she brought me bourbon and scotch and when I tried to explain what an Arnold Palmer is, she came back with lemonade and vodka. That's when it dawned on me that maybe it would just be easier to talk to the manager."  
  
"Gordo," Miranda said, "No offense, but you don't seem like the type of person who would be so picky. Are you hormonal or something?" Miranda raised her eyebrow, giving her friend a hard time.  
  
Gordo grinned and sat back, "Either that or dinner was so damn boring that I needed a break from them."  
  
"Ahh," Miranda said, understandingly, "Well, get whatever you want to drink and its on the house and as for food, get whatever you want—that is also on me."  
  
Gordo smiled and got up, "Why, thank you, Miranda," he said, shaking her hand.  
  
Miranda and Gordo hugged and exchanged phone numbers before Gordo went back to his dinner. Miranda went back to work, but she was getting a kick out of the whole idea of seeing Gordo again. What tickled her the most about all of it was that he and Lizzie would hit it off so well when they saw each other.   
  
Another thing Miranda decided after seeing Gordo was that she wanted him to be a part of her wedding, as he was as good a friend as Lizzie was to her and while he might not be the best man or a groomsman, she wanted him to have some involvement.  
  
When Michael drove Miranda back to her apartment, she told him what happened and he also seemed amused, "If Lizzie wasn't so set on refusing to fall in love, she and Gordo would be perfect for each other," Miranda said, mainly joking.  
  
"Didn't they have a fling in high school?"  
  
"Oh, it was more than a fling. They were each other's first love, and Lizzie's last good long term relationship."  
  
"Why did they break up?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Miranda said, "College, I guess. They were awfully cute together, though."  
  
"Are you going to tell Lizzie?"  
  
Miranda squinted over at Michael, "I'm telling her, but you aren't saying a word about any of this, okay?"  
  
"Okay, I won't say anything!" he said.  
  
"Good," she said, "Because as you know, she hates talking about her own past relationships."  
  
Shortly after that, Michael pulled into Miranda's apartment, "Would you like to come up?" she offered, "You know, have some coffee and try to work out the date for the wedding?"  
  
"I would, but to be honest with you, I am kind of tired. How about tomorrow morning?"  
  
"Over breakfast? Sounds fine with me."  
  
"Great, I'll pick you up at nine."  
  
Miranda got out of the car after kissing Michael goodnight and went to her apartment. It was early in the morning, as the restaurant stayed open until one on weekends. To her surprise, Lizzie was asleep, though, and all the lights were turned off. This sort of disappointed Miranda, as she really wanted to tell Lizzie about seeing Gordo, but figured it could wait. She had a day off the next day and Lizzie didn't have work either, so she was sure they would find time.  
  
She retired to her bedroom and fell almost immediately asleep, dreaming of fantastic and sensational things such as her wedding and her future to follow.  
  
**  
  
Please review! 


	3. Ordinary Day

A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! You know, I'm really glad I decided to write a story. I've been reading storied around here for a little while and finally decided I had enough inspiration to start a story. Thanks for the reviews!  
  
As for this chapter, this is the last set-up chapter of everything, but I want you to get an idea of what the atmosphere for what the characters are like before they meet up.   
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire.   
  
Chapter Two  
  
Ordinary Day  
  
The next morning, when Lizzie got up, no one was there, but she did find a note left by Miranda explaining that she was out for breakfast. Lizzie ate breakfast and then started to get ready for the day with taking a shower, getting dressed and looking at her schedule. She had a wedding to attend and she had to be there at four, but other than that, she only had two appointments- a possible new client, and looking at a location out at Disneyland. Personally, Lizzie wanted nothing more than to throw cake at the bride's face when a suggestion like a theme park was made as a wedding choice. As a coordinator, she couldn't count the number of times people wanted to get married in some random place, like a zoo or a theme park, and how much of a hassle it was to work everything out.   
  
In fact, in Lizzie's opinion, the only place worse than a theme park was Las Vegas. What was up with that place, anyway? The city is tacky, despite the entertainment, the wedding already spells, "It won't last!" Also, and Lizzie always held her tongue on saying this, but to hire a wedding coordinator and go off to Vegas without knowing anyone there as family is giving the wedding coordinator free money.   
  
After she was ready, she headed for her office to deal with the day. Saturdays were always hectic for Lizzie, as someone was usually getting married and also, it was a time where both halves of a couple could spent time in the day together and therefore, when there wasn't a wedding, there was demand for her to spot locations, pick out floral arrangements, look for entertainment for the reception, and sometimes become the mediator for small arguments between the future happy couple. Despite all this, however, and disregarding a couple of the celebrity weddings she helped with, every wedding story she was involved with (other than her own, of course) had a happy ending and not one of her clients, again, pulling aside a few of the celebrity crowd, had gotten a divorce.  
  
Part of that might have to do with the fact that she was picky with who she helped, especially now that she could afford to be picky. She had quite a large sum of money in her bank account and rarely pulled any of the money out of it. She had her reasons, though, and they weren't as some oblivious people asked, for her future, lavishly decorated exotic wedding. No, but she never willingly talked about her relationships, either.  
  
She was saving up for something, in her opinion, more spectacular than any wedding. She had dreams of starting a charity and building a house for the charity when she had the chance. The reason for the charity was driven from her experiences with clients and the purpose would be to help people with less money fulfill their idea of a dream wedding without having them spend too much money. She wanted everyone to feel special on what is supposed to be the happiest day of someone's life and she felt that if she could so this among other smaller projects within the charity, she could die happily.  
  
A few minutes after she arrived, the possible new clients arrived. Both looked to be in their early thirties and the woman, as usual, looked much happier to be there than the man. Apparently, they had flown in all the way from Indiana (although, Lizzie had experienced further distances) to pursue the chance to have, what the woman called, "their dream wedding," although Lizzie had a feeling that this dream mainly belonged to the woman.  
  
After spending enough time with them to get to know them, Lizzie decided that the couple was worth her time, as they looked happy together and that was her number one reason to agree to any wedding.   
  
An hour after they left and set up more information, such as when Lizzie should come to Indiana and their next appointment (the next day), Lizzie had to pick up an early lunch and headed out to Disneyland. She was going to meet the couple there, and they arrived right as she arrived and they joined up and looked around the park. Lizzie went along with whatever they said, as they analyzed the idea of a theme park wedding and didn't say much, although after two hours of looking around and discussing it, Lizzie had to admit that she wasn't disappointed when they decided to try and look some place. Lizzie told them she would e-mail them a list of places to consider by Monday and they went their separate ways.  
  
Now, it was time for Lizzie to head all the way to the Hilton hotel in Los Angeles for the wedding that started at six-thirty. When she got there, her assistant, Wendy, was there overseeing the reception set up that had a stage, numerous tables, and a dance floor. Lizzie oversaw this until she got a call on her cell phone—surprise, surprise, it was Miranda.  
  
"Lizzie! I've been trying to reach you all day! Where have you been?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Miranda, it's Saturday! What do you think I'm doing? I was in a meeting, and then I went to Disneyland to look at a location. What do you want?"  
  
"I want to talk to you, that's all," Miranda said, "What time do you think you'll be getting home?"  
  
"Around midnight," Lizzie guessed, "Why?"  
  
"Because," Miranda said, "Michael and I came up with a few ideas and there is something I'm dying to talk to you about."  
  
Lizzie sighed and rolled her eyes, "Well, can you tell me now?"  
  
"No! It's something I need to tell you in person."  
  
"Okay, well, if I don't see you later tonight, I'll talk to you tomorrow."  
  
"Fine. Have fun at the wedding."  
  
"Thanks. Have fun at the restaurant."  
  
Lizzie hung up and went back to focusing on the wedding that would start in a little over an hour. The bride and groom arrived as guests did as well and the evening went well. The couple got married, had a reception and left for their honeymoon suite. The other guests left and the last person there, a drunk older man, had to be approached by Lizzie, "Excuse me, sir?" she said, tapping his shoulder.  
  
The man looked at Lizzie with his watery eyes and took another sip of whatever he was drinking, "Oh, hey," he said, reaching his arm out and placing it on her shoulder, "You know, my ex-wife's nephew got married today."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head. She was used to people like this. She started to walk him out of the room, and calling him a taxi.  
  
Once they were outside, the man let go of Lizzie and looked her over, "You're very attractive, young lady. What's your name?"  
  
"Lizzie," she said, sitting down on the bench.  
  
"Lizzie?" he repeated in his drunken state, "You know, I grew up with a girl named Lizzie. She had blond hair just like you. Or was it brown?" he hiccupped, "Anyway, she moved away to Missouri or Kentucky or one of those states out east and I never saw her again. She was nice, though."  
  
Lizzie smiled and nodded her head, but didn't say anything.  
  
"You know who you remind me of?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "No. Who?"  
  
The man put his finger up, "My second ex -wife. I was married three times, you know."  
  
Lizzie still said nothing, although she always felt a slight amount of relief and happiness to hear about other people's failed relationships. It always reassured her that she wasn't alone.   
  
"She had blonde hair just like you and was pretty, very pretty."  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"Oh, she ran off with my best friend. That was over twenty years ago, though."  
  
Lizzie smiled sadly as she felt certain sympathy for this man, "I'm sorry to hear that."  
  
The man waved his arm, "Sorry! Everyone's sorry and why are they sorry?" he shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands, "Why should anyone be sorry? I learned from it all. May I give you some advice, miss?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head.  
  
"When you love someone, and I mean really love someone," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "imagine that person with your best friend. That way, you won't be so disappointed when you come to find that they've been seeing each other," the man nodded his head, "In fact, save time and be your own best friend. Think about it. It works."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head. It was one of the strangest things anyone had ever said to her, and before she could hear any more of this man's witty advice, the taxi arrived and he was gone. The last guest of the wedding had left and Lizzie went back inside and almost all the decorations were gone. Soon, it was time to go home.  
  
Lizzie drove home and she saw that right as she was parking her car, Miranda was coming home as well, "Perfect timing," Miranda said, as she got out of Michael's car, "Bye, Michael! I'll see you tomorrow! I love you!"  
  
Miranda and Lizzie walked up to their apartment and Miranda put on some coffee and both of them went to put on their pajamas. It was almost two o'clock in the morning, but neither of the best friends was tired as they say down in their living room with their coffee and started talking.  
  
"So," Lizzie said, curling up on one side of the couch and leaning against the arm as she sipped her coffee, "What do you want to talk about."  
  
"Well," Miranda said, "First of all, Michael and I were planning on having a wedding next year around late February or early March."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Late February or early March," she repeated, reaching for a legal pad and pen on the coffee table in front of the couch, "let me check my calendar and see what dates work for me. I am assuming you want it on a Saturday," she said, jotting things down.  
  
"Yeah," Miranda said.  
  
"Do you know how big you want the wedding?"  
  
"Michael and I have decided to keep it pretty small, actually, with only friends and family."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head as she wrote, "Do you have any ideas on location? Or is that still up in the air?"  
  
"Well, we were talking about Vegas," Miranda said casually, sipping her coffee.  
  
Lizzie looked up and stopped writing, "You're joking, right?"  
  
Miranda cracked a smile, "What do you think?"  
  
Lizzie smiled as well, and started writing again, "So, this gives us about four and a half months to get ready. Do you have a budget?"  
  
"Yeah, not expensive."  
  
Lizzie laughed, "Maybe Vegas is the way to go, then."  
  
"Nah, flying fifty people to Vegas will add up."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Yeah," Miranda said, with a smile forming on her lips, "guess who I ran into last night at the restaurant?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, putting the legal pad and pen down, "Who?"  
  
"Gordo!" Miranda said.  
  
Lizzie almost did a spit take, but managed to swallow the coffee before asking, "What?"  
  
"Yeah, isn't it weird? He lives here, now, too."  
  
"That's weird. I haven't seen him in something like two years. What does he do now?"  
  
"He's a biochemist. He's working over at USC in the science department."  
  
"We should go out to lunch with him sometime or something."  
  
Miranda nodded her head, "I know. We exchanged numbers and we are probably going to do that at some point."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Is he married?"  
  
"Nope. He's single. He doesn't really want anything serious, as he's just starting on his career."  
  
"That's understandable."  
  
"Yeah," Miranda said, looking at Lizzie carefully to see if their were any signs that she was interested, "I really want him in the wedding."  
  
"You do?" Lizzie asked, surprised to hear this, "Have you talked to him about this?"  
  
"No, because I hadn't talked to you first."  
  
"Miranda, why would I care?" Thinking this was personal, she went on, "We dated ten years ago and we've been on good terms. Why would I care if he's in the wedding?"  
  
"Because you're the wedding coordinator. I don't know where he'd belong," Miranda said, smiling at what her best friend said. To Miranda, that meant that Lizzie was thinking about him and their past.  
  
Lizzie blushed a little, "Oh, right," she said, "that's a good question. Where would you put him?"  
  
"Well, the ideal solution would to have him be the best man, as well, he is my best guy friend and it would make me happy, but Mike really wants his older brother to be in the wedding."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Well, you don't have to decide right away. Who knows what will come up as we start planning this."  
  
Miranda nodded her head and suddenly remembered that she didn't ask about the wedding Lizzie just finished, "Oh, how was the wedding tonight?"  
  
"Fine. Two more people out there that are going to live happily ever after are married."  
  
"Anything interesting happen? Anyone mess up their vows or any interesting people at the reception?"  
  
Lizzie laughed, thinking about the drunk guy at the reception, "There was this one guy there that got really drunk and started talking to me as I waited with him for a taxi."  
  
"Oh?" Miranda said, "Was he old or young?"  
  
"Old."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"He was telling me all these things and I was listening and he gave me the weirdest advice."  
  
"What was that."  
  
Lizzie told Miranda what he said and Miranda laughed.  
  
"Um, are you trying to tell me something, Liz? Should I be worried about you and Michael?"  
  
"Believe me, you have nothing to worry about," Lizzie said, getting up and putting her coffee cup in the sink, "I just thought it was sad in a way, you know?" she called from the kitchen.  
  
"Well, he was drunk. People do say those types of things when they are drunk."  
  
"I know, but still," Lizzie called, "I can't believe his best friend did that to him. That doesn't say a lot about their friendship. I felt sympathy for the man. He's been married three times," Lizzie came back into the room and sat back down next to Miranda.  
  
Miranda and Lizzie talked a little longer, but soon decided that it was time to go to sleep. Lizzie and Miranda went off into their own rooms and soon fell asleep.  
  
---  
  
For Gordo, the day had been a lot different. He woke up to the sound of his alarm clock that Saturday at seven in the morning. He spent the next fifteen minutes trying to wake up and finally arose from bed. His new apartment was covered with boxes for the time being, as he hadn't had a chance to fully unpack and there was no motivation to unpack otherwise.   
  
He was to start working on Monday and that day, had to stop by the campus and meet that he would be working with and tour the campus. He wasn't a member of the faculty, but he would assist students and others in the research department as well as the education department, and this meant that he would have to obtain a certain type of ID.  
  
So, after taking a shower, shaving, and getting ready for the day, he set off for the campus at around eight. He went to grab his keys from his dresser when he saw the number Miranda gave him the night before.   
  
"You should call them," he thought, stuffing his wallet into his pocket, "actually, you should call her," he thought, "to see how she is doing."  
  
He picked up the paper and looked at it, trying to decide what to do, before he finally stuffed it in his pocket. He grabbed his keys and he was on his way off.  
  
A half an hour later he was standing with several scientists with a white lab coat in the hallway of the science building of the campus. These were the people he would be working with everyday and conducting experiments with on a daily basis. This was his team.  
  
After a tour of the entire campus and an explanation of his privileges and restrictions, they went to a meeting room to discuss the final details of the job. He would spend time in the classroom with students to accumulate hours of aiding and once he reached a certain number of hours, he could help teach classes. This sounded fine with Gordo, and he signed the necessary documents and set up his identification.  
  
By the time he was finished with this, it was two in the afternoon and one of the other scientists, the man that offered Gordo the job, invited him to lunch in the cafeteria. Gordo accepted and the two went off to the cafeteria.  
  
Once they were seated, the man, Dr. John Ferguson, who was in his late thirties, married, and had a doctorate in Chemistry, asked Gordo, "So, what do you think so far?"  
  
"I have no idea what to expect," Gordo said, honestly, "It's exciting, though."  
  
"You'll be working with a great group of people."  
  
"That's good to know."  
  
"Although," John started, "I do think you should call Lizzie McGuire, don't you?"  
  
Gordo jumped a little, not believing what he was hearing, "What?" he asked, swallowing hard. How did John know that he was thinking about Lizzie?"  
  
"I think we should start with the tetra hydrochloride on Monday. What do you think?"  
  
"Oh," Gordo said, although he thought he was going crazy, "Right. That sounds fine with me.  
  
A group of girls walked by and a few of them smiled at Gordo. Dr. Ferguson noticed this and laughed, "Imagine what those girls would say if they found out that you might be their teacher next year," then he looked at Gordo and raised his eyebrow, "You DO know that you aren't allowed to have any personal involvement with any of the students here at the University of Southern California, don't you?"  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Oh, I know. You have nothing to worry about. I'm almost twenty-eight years old. No offense, but I don't think I want to date anyone ten years younger than me."  
  
Dr. Ferguson nodded his head, "Good to hear. Do you even have a girlfriend?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "Right now I'm not really looking for one. I just finished education and now with trying to start a career and everything, I don't really have that commitment."  
  
Dr. Ferguson nodded his head, "Understandable. I just got married four years ago and no one really understood why I never started earlier. Of course, I'm not really sure if I was necessarily ready for marriage when Samantha came into my life, but I guess I realized I was in love and that I didn't have to be looking to find the person that was perfect for me."  
  
"True," Gordo said, now regretting what he said earlier. He shrugged, "Who knows?"  
  
By the time they were finished with lunch, Dr. Ferguson had an appointment so Gordo left the campus and headed back home. He thought about trying to call Lizzie and Miranda when he got home but decided against it, as they were probably busy. It wasn't like he was looking for something to do, as Gordo had many options, such as unpacking, researching, or working out, but Gordo didn't feel like doing any of those things.  
  
Lately, especially in the past several months, something in the back of Gordo's mind had been bothering him. It was weird, though, especially for Gordo. He'd been thinking a lot about Lizzie recently. The strange thing about the thoughts he was having was that they didn't seem romantic as much as they seemed curious. He felt like something was telling him that he'd spent too much of the past ten years focusing on friendship and now, only because she is fairly well known in her department, he only kept up with one childhood friend. It wasn't on a personal level, either. Gordo didn't admit this to anyone, but whenever he saw a bridal magazine in a newsstand, he skimmed through it to look for Lizzie's name. He felt like he had something to hide, but he was only curious. The night before when he saw Miranda, though, he took it as a sign that maybe his old friendships weren't closed, after all. Especially after having all these thoughts about Lizzie, he decided he would make an effort to renew his friendships with the only two real girl friends he ever had.  
  
Gordo went back to his department and turned on the TV, emptying the contents out of his pockets and placing them on the table beside him. This proved to be a distraction, however, as he kept looking at the number Miranda gave him as it stared back at him.  
  
"I really should call them," Gordo thought, "The sooner I do it, the sooner I get it over with."  
  
Gordo looked back and forth from the News to the number and was concentrating on the number more than he was on the news of a burglary, and he couldn't take it anymore. He picked up his cell phone, grabbed the number and dialed the number. He stare on it on his cell phone before finally pushing, "send." He held the phone to his ear and listend as it rang.  
  
Ring  
  
Ring  
  
Ring  
  
Ring  
  
Ring  
  
The answering machine picked up and Gordo heard Miranda's voice, "Hi! This is Miranda and Lizzie and we're not home right now so leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can! Have a nice day!"  
  
Gordo didn't even wait for the beep before he decided to press the "end" button on his phone. Of course they were out. It was a Saturday afternoon. Miranda was probably busy with her restaurant and Lizzie was probably busy with some wedding to plan. Here Gordo was, who for the past ten years of his life was too busy to so much as pick up the phone and call his best friends, and now sat there with nothing to do, well, nothing he had to do.  
  
He tapped his fingers, realizing that he needed to feel busy. That way, he won't feel so pathetic. He got up and looked at the newspaper on the counter. He opened it up, thinking there had to be something interesting going on tonight. As a first instinct, he went to the science section in the entertainment section, "Lecture on Psychology of Adult Males," and "Seminar of the Physics of Sound," were the only things offered. As soon as he realized what he was reading, though, Gordo closed the paper with a look of disgust on his face.   
  
What the hell was he doing? Sure, he was a scientist, but his Saturday evening was not supposed to be involved around seminars and lectures. He shook it off and opened the paper back up, and looking at concerts. Wow, he hadn't been to a concert in a long time. Maybe this was his chance to meet new people and do something with his Saturday. He called and ordered a ticket for the rock concert being held at the Staples Center. He thought about calling someone to go with him but then decided it wasn't worth the haste and besides, when it was over, he could go straight home and get some sleep.   
  
He got ready to go to the concert…alone and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading to the Staples Center and as he pulled into his parking spot, he sighed. This was sad, him going to a concert by himself. He decided that he needed some friends to do this with.  
  
He got out of his car and went with the crowd walking to the arena and realized the worst part of this sadness…he was surrounded by groups of teenage girls and guys. He picked up his ticket and went to his seat. He was able to get a pretty good seat. A half an hour later the arena was full and he was sitting in between a group of middle school boys and three high school girls. The boys couldn't have cared less about Gordo but the girls, on the other hand, kept looking at him and whispering to each other. Suddenly, Gordo found himself feeling very insecure. He finally decided to say something, anything, to make his being at this concert more justifiable, "I am writing a paper on the physics of sound," he said, thinking quickly.  
  
The girls didn't care, though, and Gordo knew that before he opened his mouth, "Oh," the girl sitting next to him said, "that's interesting. Where do you go to school?"  
  
Oh right, Gordo thought, you have to go to school to write papers, "USC," he said, thinking it was a big campus. He'd probably never see them again.  
  
"Oh, I'm looking there for college. What are you majoring in?" the middle one asked.  
  
Oh, great, Gordo thought, he had opened up a can of worms, "Um, physics."  
  
The girl nodded and Gordo thought that it would be the end of their conversation, however, he wasn't so lucky, "What year are you?" the girl farthest away from him asked.  
  
Yeah, he'd told a lie and now had to go with it, "Senior," he said, thinking it was the highest level and that he could fall for a twenty-two year old male.  
  
"Ah, so you're graduating soon. Cool," the one next to him said, "I'm Jessica," she held out her hand, "these are my two friends, Kate and Sarah."  
  
Gordo nodded as he shook their hands, "Nice to meet you. I'm…" he thought about this for a minute. He wasn't supposed to be a doctor and he didn't want them to call him Gordo, either, "I'm David," he said.  
  
Jessica smiled, "So, do you usually go to concerts by yourself or is this like a one-time thing?"  
  
Gordo thought that was a rather odd question for someone to ask. He couldn't decide if these girls were flirting with him or just being nice, though, as he wasn't good with this department and they were a decade younger than him. Maybe, he thought just to be safe, he should make his life more interesting and create a girlfriend, "No, usually I go with my girlfriend. She couldn't come, though, so I only bought one ticket."  
  
The girls nodded their head. They seemed to back off a little bit once they learned he had a girlfriend, but they kept asking questions. The band was running late, so to pass time, he talked with them. It was kind of fun creating an alternate life for himself. He had a chance to make himself more interesting to people he would never see again. He told them about his hobbies, where he'd been, and all these other things that he knew weren't true, but that didn't matter. He was having a little harmless fun with them. That being said, though, he was anxious for the concert to start.   
  
After what seemed like hours of talking to these girls, the concert finally started with the opening act. It dawned on Gordo that for someone who was supposed to be writing a paper, he didn't look like he was writing a paper. How does one look like they are working on a paper for the physics of sound, anyway? He took out his palm pilot and turned it on to open a new document. At least that way, he thought, he'd look authentic if the girls looked at him. He played around with the document, writing random letters and basically doodling.   
  
Finally, the band came on, yet Gordo was too busy doodling to notice that everyone around him was standing up. He was only vaguely aware of what he was writing, so when he looked down at what he saw, it was almost haunting. Apparently, Gordo had written, "I really should call Lizzie and Miranda. Leave a message. I should call tomorrow." Whoa, Gordo thought. He didn't even realize he was thinking about Lizzie and Miranda. He quickly erased what he had written and that was when he realized that everyone around him was standing up. What the hell was he doing? He stood up and watched the band play, and found himself getting into the music. He forgot about the fact that he was supposed to be writing a paper as he let his thoughts drift with the music. What would it be like to be friends with Miranda and Lizzie again? To be so close to contact yet so far away from their reality was strenuous but the music made it a little easier to focus on his thoughts. The concert ended before he knew it and he left the same guy he came into the Staples Center, and as he walked to his car, he thought some more. It was nice to be able to think without having to having to come to a conclusion in the process or having to share thoughts with other people.   
  
Gordo drove home in silence and decided that once he did make that call, he would make an effort to keep in contact with his friends, especially now that they lived in the same city. He no longer had to spend most of his time in books and was sad to say that with leaving school, he also left his friends behind in some respect. Not that he had too many friends, as his life focused mainly on getting his degree for the past ten years, but change is not easy and if one adjusts to a certain life and then leaves, one finds it hard not to leave that place room in his heart. It was weird and he knew it was weird, but he was completely school free for the first time in twenty-six years and figured he had a right to feel this way and was sorry to say that he could justify these feelings in biochemistry terminology.   
  
When he got back into his apartment, he went to bed almost immediately. He didn't even let himself think, as he knew that if he thought too much, he'd talk himself out of calling them again. To see Miranda the night before meant a lot to him. He knew that seeing her again along with Lizzie would mean the world.  
  
---  
  
To Be Continued. Please Review! 


	4. Almost Didn't Happen

_A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! I have high hopes that this story will be really good and once everything is set up and everyone meets, I hope everyone else feels the same way. A special thanks to Hacen, loppylou1, Black night 03, and Danny for their reviews for the last chapter.   
_  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Almost Didn't Happen  
  
The next day was Sunday and Miranda was busy with the restaurant, Lizzie was working all day with weddings and Gordo was busy preparing some data for the following day. Well, that took approximately an hour, but he was looking for an excuse to wait and call Lizzie and Miranda, as he didn't want to seem too desperate, so he also managed to unpack a few more boxes. He did give Miranda his phone number but he knew that he was probably not on her list of priorities.  
  
…So before they knew it, it was Monday. Lizzie usually worked minimally on Mondays, as usually her weekends were pretty hectic with weddings and meetings. Miranda woke up early, went to work out and met up with Michael for a middle of the morning breakfast.   
  
Gordo also woke up early for work. He had mixed emotions about this because this was his first hardcore job. He had plenty of interning experience as well as part time but no full commitment type work, but this was permanent. He was nervous, but a large part of him felt ready for this. He was ready to apply what he'd spent the last ten years learning about to real life and make it official.  
  
He arrived at the University around eight o'clock and the administration handed him a set of keys to the building as well as his lab. He opened the lab and out of the six people that were supposed to be working in that space with him, one of them was already there. He was told to wait until everyone arrived to do anything, as it was his first day, but the other guy seemed hard at work, taking notes on a book he had. The guy, Dr. Adams, barely looked up when Gordo came in and continued working when he nodded, "Dr. Gordon."  
  
Gordo nodded back. He sat down a few stools away and put his things down on the ground. He was tempted to try to talk to Dr. Adams, but he didn't know if that was appropriate, as he looked like he was hard at work. Instead, he remained silent and looked around the room he'd been in a few times before.  
  
Suddenly, a few minutes later, Dr. Adams cleared his throat and spoke up, "So, do you know what you are working on today?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "No, what?"  
  
Dr. Adams chuckled, "I have no idea what YOU are working on, Dr. Gordon. I only know that I have to work on a few conversions with proteins, teach two classes, and then work on editing a speech I am giving next week at Harvard."  
  
Gordo nodded his head. He often times forgot why he decided to become a doctor of biochemistry in the first place. This was one of those times. Scientist's lives seemed so boring and so focused on…. well, science. He always tried to picture these people living their average lives with their family, and he couldn't see them talk about anything other than science. He couldn't see himself be like that, of course, but it was like this was a fully separate world from the real world.  
  
Dr. Adams retuned to his work and other people arrived and by half past eight, everyone was there in a seat. Dr. Ferguson explained to Gordo that he wanted him to work with proteins today and help with some experiment later. Gordo did this and with lunch break included, he was finished by two o'clock. Dr. Ferguson said that when people finished, they were generally free to leave. This meant that some people were gone by eleven and some people stayed until the building closed, eight o'clock. That was only special circumstances, though, as most people finished by three or four. This was part of what Gordo liked about this job. He'd be home at a reasonable hour and if he ever chose to start dating or have a family, he would be home at a good time and still feel like he accomplished something.  
  
Gordo was pleased with his first day on the job and decided he might try giving Miranda and Lizzie a call to see if they wanted to meet with each other anytime soon. He called their apartment and after a few rings, someone finally answered. It was Lizzie. Gordo didn't have to ask, but he could tell by her voice.  
  
"Hello?" she answered.  
  
A few seconds passed before Gordo realized that this was an actual call, "L-Lizzie?" he finally managed.  
  
He could hear a small gasp on the other end and then she said, "Gordo? Is that you?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, simply.  
  
"Oh, my gosh! Miranda told me she saw you the other day. How have you been?"  
  
"Uhh, Good," he said, feeling surreal, as he hadn't spoken to this girl in over two years. Maybe he was making too big of a deal out of this, "How about you?"  
  
"Busy," Lizzie admitted, "You know, as fun as weddings are to plan and watch fall through, by the time Monday rolls around, I'm just ready for a nice, relaxing day."  
  
"So you don't work on Mondays?"  
  
"Oh, I work," Lizzie said, "But I only do little things, like tour a dining hall or discuss colors. Just enough to keep me sane," she said, then she realized that she had spoken to Gordo for less than a minute, and already she was talking about work. Maybe that was a little inappropriate, "How about you? I hear you finished school and work at USC."  
  
"Yep. Today was my first day. Don't worry, though. You can still call me Gordo. You don't have to call me 'Dr. Gordon.'"  
  
Lizzie smiled, "I won't."  
  
Gordo relaxed a little, leaning against his kitchen counter with the phone, "So, are you doing anything tonight?"  
  
"Um, I have an appointment at seven to see a country club. Why?"   
  
"Oh, I don't know," he said, "I just thought maybe you, Miranda, and I could have dinner together or something to catch up."  
  
"Well, Miranda has to work at the restaurant, but I'm free after the appointment. Does that count for anything?"  
  
"Of course. What time will it be over?"  
  
"Oh, probably by eight, since I'm not the one giving the tour. Do you want to meet then?"  
  
"Okay," Gordo said, "Where?"  
  
"I don't care, really. I usually order take out. Do you like Indian food?"  
  
"Sounds fine with me. Do you need me to pick you up?"  
  
"No, we can meet there. It's that Indian restaurant next to the Reebok on 59th. Want to say 8:30, then? Just to be on the safe side."  
  
"Sure," Gordo said, glad that this was so easy, "I'll see you then."  
  
"Yeah," Lizzie said, "It was nice to hear from you."  
  
"Yeah, It was nice to hear from you too. I'll see you at 8:30."  
  
After saying their goodbyes, they hung up and Lizzie worked on some wedding ideas while Gordo unpacked a few more boxes.  
  
---  
  
When Lizzie told Miranda about her plans with Gordo that evening, Miranda sounded jealous, "You should have called me sooner. I could have made up an excuse."  
  
"I'm sorry. We'll probably see each other again."  
  
Miranda sighed, "Well, you could have at least had him meet you here. That way, I could have talked to you."  
  
"Um, Miranda, no offense, but I eat a lot of food from that restaurant. I was in the mood for something a little different."  
  
"Oh, fine," Miranda huffed. She wasn't all that mad at Lizzie, she just wanted to be there with them.  
  
"I'll tell you all about it when you get home."  
  
"Good. I'll see you later, hun!"  
  
"Bye," Lizzie said, hanging up the phone.  
  
After hanging up the phone, Lizzie took a shower and got dressed for the evening. Actually, she usually liked these meetings because she wasn't usually involved with anything but pricing and space. She didn't have to stay with them as they discussed everything.  
  
Lizzie got there and an hour later, she was out of there and heading for the restaurant to meet her old friend. She was less than two miles away from him and making good time when all the sudden…her car stopped working. "I just got this car last year," Lizzie thought to herself as she dialed for help on her cell phone.  
  
In the meantime, Gordo had found the Indian Restaurant and arrived a little early and decided to go in and sit down. 8:30 rolled around and there was still no sign of Lizzie. He decided not to worry too much about it, but when he sat there for thirty minutes, he couldn't help but wonder where she was. "Shit," he thought, "I don't know her cell phone number and I didn't give her mine." He glanced at his watch, which read 9:00 and debated about what to do. He was about to get up and leave when she came through the door, looking out of breath.   
  
Gordo stood up and watched her walk towards him, in a minor state of shock. Lizzie looked great. Lizzie smiled at him and gave him a warm hug when she reached him, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"That's okay," Gordo said, and they pulled away from each other and took their seats, "Did the meeting run late?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "No, I had some trouble with my car. It's okay, though. It's towed and it's going to be fixed by tomorrow night. I'm really sorry for making you wait, though."  
  
Gordo shook his head, "It was not a problem. Any old friend is worth waiting for, right?"  
  
Lizzie smiled, "Of course."  
  
"So," Gordo said, leaning in toward her and putting his hands on the table, "Tell me about you."  
  
Lizzie raised her eyebrow, "You don't waste your time, do you?"  
  
"Yeah, well, forgive me for trying to avoid any awkward moments."  
  
Lizzie took a sip of her water and leaned in to the table, too, "Well, what do you want to know?"  
  
Gordo laughed to himself. Maybe this wasn't going to be too easy, after all, "So, you still plan weddings, don't you?"  
  
Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, I do. It's a lot of fun."  
  
"Really?"   
  
"Yeah, of course! I love watching people who are in love compromise over small things like whether they want an ice sculpture at their reception and work out where random family members are going to sit. It's genuine and, well, one of couple's greatest tribulations in life is compromise, right?"  
  
"Ooh, that's good," Gordo said, taking a sip of his drink and thinking about what she said, "You really should think about writing a book."  
  
Lizzie picked up her menu and leaned back, smiling, "Oh, Gordo," she shook her head, "Gordo, Gordo, Gordo…I guess all that studying really did make you a little out of it," she saw that he looked a little confused, "My book was published a little over a year ago."  
  
It was now Gordo's turn to raise his eyebrow, "You mean you actually wrote a book?"  
  
Lizzie nodded, looking at the menu, "Yeah, it was about planning a wedding. It was number thirty four on New York's Bestselling List for a week and number one book of the year in this year's LA Bride."  
  
"Oh," Gordo said, slowly leaning back and looking at his own menu. He didn't know what else to say.  
  
Lizzie grinned, "Don't feel too bad about it. If it makes you feel any better, I never read your Doctorate's thesis."  
  
"And your probably a better person because of it," Gordo said, casually.  
  
The waitress came around and Lizzie ordered some white wine, "Well, tell me about you," she said, "Besides school, what have you been up to?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "I had an internship over the summer and now I work in the science department of the University of Southern California. Other than that, nothing really."  
  
Lizzie's drink came and they ordered food and once the waitress was gone, Lizzie leaned in once again, "Oh, come on, something interesting had to have happened. Do you have a girlfriend? Are you thinking about getting married? Because if so…"  
  
Gordo shook his head and laughed, "and this is from the girl who panicked because she had no direction."  
  
Lizzie laughed and took a small sip of her wine, "Do you have a girlfriend, Gordo?"  
  
Gordo decided to become serious and said, "No," and then without thinking about it, he said, "and don't try to fix me up with anyone either. I am not looking for any type of relationship right now."  
  
"Well, if you think I'm ever playing maker, then I think you don't know me very well. I can't manage my own love life, much less try and start some other people's relationship."  
  
Gordo didn't say anything at first. What was he supposed to say?   
  
Lizzie noticed the silence and felt bad. She sighed, leaning back in her chair, "Don't feel bad. It all happened a long time ago. I'm not complaining."  
  
This made Gordo feel a little better, "I, uh, take it you don't have a boyfriend."  
  
Lizzie laughed to herself, "Honestly, I don't ever plan on having a boyfriend."  
  
"That's understandable," he said, and then he thought maybe that sounded a little mean, "I mean, considering what you've been through with guys and everything."  
  
Lizzie took another sip of wine as she seemed deep in thought, "It's not that I've given up on love, really," she said, "I mean, I have learned a lot about myself over the past several years and honestly, I wouldn't take any of what happened back. I mean, things do happen for a reason, right? Romance doesn't work for everyone and I've learned to accept that it doesn't work for me. Sure, I won't have that fantasy wedding that every girl dreams of when they are ten and I'll grow up to be an old maid. I also know that I can't take another broken heart. They take too long to heal."  
  
Gordo looked at his friend and could tell that she was a little overcome by emotions. He didn't say anything to her and more awkward silence came. He admired his friend for her courage and strength as well as her insight. She seemed to have everything figured out for herself and overall, appeared to be very happy. He was thinking about how lucky he was to know this wonderful person when she suddenly spoke.  
  
"Gordo, I'm glad that you're my friend and that I got to see you tonight," she sighed, "Oh, God! If Miranda had been here she would have killed me for telling you all this. She doesn't let me get carried away with this subject because she says It only brings up bad memories and I start to analyze myself…she's completely right of course, but still…sometimes it doesn't hurt to think a little," she smiled, looking directly into his eyes, "we should do this more often, have dinner or something."  
  
"Yeah, we should," Gordo agreed, smiling.  
  
The rest of dinner, they talked about themselves and when they were finished, Gordo gave Lizzie a ride back to her apartment.  
  
It was the end of the evening….and the beginning of something bigger…much bigger, actually.   
  
To be continued! Please review! 


	5. Everything Changes

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I am trying really hard and I'm so glad you like it. Anyway, please continue as I am updating as much as I can!  
_  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Everything Changes  
  
Several months passed and Gordo saw his friends, Lizzie and Miranda a lot more as the time passed. Miranda and Michael set their wedding date in April and Michael won national recognition for his cooking and as a result, he would be invited to Las Vegas for a cooking convention. They found out after they sent out invitations, however, that the convention was the day after they were to get married.  
  
Not a problem, though, Miranda insisted. She decided that they would fly to Vegas for their wedding night and leave for their honeymoon destination, Paris, after the convention. In fact, since the recognition offered four tickets, Miranda invited Lizzie and Gordo to come with them, with the explanation that they want their friends to be there. Besides, Miranda thought Lizzie could use a trip to Las Vegas without having to worry about a wedding there.  
  
As for the wedding, a coworker of Lizzie's would act as the official coordinator at the wedding, while all the plans were set up by Lizzie and Miranda. Lizzie was to be the maid of honor, and Michael's brother would be the best man. Gordo would be an usher along with three other people. The wedding itself seemed perfect. It was small enough to be intimate, yet large enough to satisfy everyone. While Lizzie and Miranda spent a lot of time planning everything, Michael and Gordo became good friends as well and on Saturdays where the girls went shopping, Gordo and Michael would often sit around and have beers and do what guys usually did (which included everything from playing chess to watching sports to cooking.) While they weren't the best of friends, they shared a certain bond that didn't include girls.  
  
As for Lizzie and Gordo's romantic life, it still was nonexistent. They both seemed develop a small crush on each other through the months, but it wasn't anything they ever acted on. It wasn't obsessive…it was more like a friendly crush that would pass as soon as one of them busied themselves with a different significant other…which didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. Lizzie and Gordo were often paired together when the four of them went out for whatever reason. Whether it was mini golfing or going to dinner, they had each other when Miranda and Michael had themselves.  
  
And last, but not least: the living situation. Michael was going to move in with Miranda and Lizzie would have to move out. Gordo offered to let her move in with him and Lizzie accepted, thinking that it would be fun living with a guy knowing that the relationship wasn't doomed. It was like the ideal situation to have. Everyone was happy and a week before the wedding, boxes that belonged to Lizzie piled in with the few boxes Gordo had yet to unpack and Michael's stuff was in Miranda's apartment. Everything seemed set and everyone thought that it was time for some sort of celebration…to recognize that everything was working out, and before the week brought stress to everyone, they could relax. Miranda let the chef that was going to replace Michael over their honeymoon take over the night and gave someone else a night to manage her restaurant while Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda, and Michael had their own night…first, they had dinner and then they went for a few drinks.   
  
"Here's to us," Miranda toasted, holding up her dry martini at the bar, after dinner.  
  
"Here! Here!" Everyone else said, taking a drink of their own drinks. This was going to be the first night Miranda and Michael would be living together and Lizzie was sleeping at Gordo's apartment.  
  
"Oh, my God, you guys!" Miranda pouted jokingly, "I can't believe I'm about to live with a boy!"  
  
Lizzie, along with the others laughed, "Oh, don't worry, Miranda! It won't be too bad. The only problem you'll have is getting over the fact that you and I are no longer roommates."  
  
Miranda made a sad face and then smiled, "You know, there still is that extra bedroom. You can still live with us."  
  
Lizzie laughed, "Um, I think we'll be fine. Besides, I think it might be time for a little shake in our lives."  
  
"Ahem," Michael said, "Also, I think I might object a little if Lizzie came to live with us."  
  
They all laughed, enjoying the night. Two hours later, they decided to call it a night and Gordo and Lizzie went in one car and Miranda and Michael went in another. It was a sad day, in some ways, yet in others, it was also monumental. Miranda was getting married and all their lives were changing. They were moving to different places and getting on with their lives.   
  
Lizzie and Gordo said their goodnights when they got to their apartment and went to their separate rooms and went to bed.  
  
Hours later, when late in the evening turned to early in the morning, Lizzie woke up and couldn't find herself to go back to sleep. She got up to get some water and instead of going back to her room, she opened the door to the balcony. The night was clear and perfect, so Lizzie sat down in one of the chairs and peered at the stars for a while, thinking about the changes that were happening.   
  
Lizzie lost track of time as she starred into the sky and little did she know, Gordo was also awake and he, too, went to the kitchen. When he spotted Lizzie outside, he couldn't help but grin. He fixed two cups of instant coffee and went to join Lizzie outside. He handed her a cup of coffee. "Thanks," she said.  
  
"You're welcome," he said. He sat down on the chair next to her and watched her as the looked up into the sky and took a sip of the coffee. Not once did she look at him.  
  
"What are you looking at?" he said, looking up into the sky.  
  
She shrugged, "Oh, nothing really, I was just thinking."  
  
He nodded, "Ahh," he said, "a penny for your thoughts?"  
  
Lizzie grinned and looked at her best friend and then down, as if she were a little embarrassed, "I guess I was just thinking about life in general and how much it changes, really," she said and then put her coffee down on the floor beside her, "I didn't wake you up, did I?"  
  
Gordo yawned, "Nope. I couldn't sleep either, actually," he said, then pointed out to the sky, "It's really beautiful out here tonight."  
  
"I know," Lizzie said, looking back up.  
  
Gordo looked back at his friend, "Would you rather me leave you alone?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "No, stay," she said, looking at him "Your company is always appreciated."  
  
They grinned at each other. He wondered if this was how it will be every night, now that he was living with his best friend. He hoped it would be. He enjoyed her company.  
  
"So," she said, "What do you say about all that's happening?"  
  
"You mean with the wedding?"  
  
"Yeah, the wedding…you coming back into our lives…you and I living together…you know, all of it."  
  
"When you put it that way," Gordo's eyes widened, "I guess it's pretty intense."  
  
Lizzie nodded, "Well, yeah, I know that, but do you think all this change is something we should get used to."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, what about when Miranda and Michael have kids? Out of the three of us, she's the one who seems to be making all the big adjustments, but it's like we're all affected."  
  
Gordo grinned, "What have you not thought about, Lizzie McGuire?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes and smiled, "All I'm saying is that unless you have a secret, she's the only one that's really going places with her life, but it seems to be equally as big for all of us. After marriage, she's going to have kids and I don't know about you, but this is going to be big for all of us. Do you think it will be like this forever?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, taking his coffee, "I don't know. I feel like we're all going places. Miranda's places just seem bigger right now because American society makes a huge deal about weddings. Look at your career—you are very successfully and live comfortably and I do, too and so does Miranda. Careers just have a different level of effect for everyone than marriages, but both are huge and equal factors that affect everything. If either of us gets married, whether it be in a year of five years, it will feel the same way for Miranda and whichever one of us is left. It will affect all of us, but whoever isn't getting married will also feel awkward with their life. When Miranda has kids, or any of us have kids for that matter, the same thing will happen. It's like this complex social cycle."  
  
Lizzie grinned as she looked at her best friend, "It looks like I'm not the only one who thinks a lot, is it?"  
  
"Well, its kind of hard not to. Just living with a girl is a big step with me, and the fact that it's you, my best friend, of all people, helps because it's good to know that other people feel the same way."  
  
"I agree," she said.  
  
"Me too," he said, "and at this point in my life, If I had to live with any girl, I'm glad of all people, it's you."  
  
Lizzie smiled, "Aww!" she said, hitting him playfully on the arm, "Well, the feeling is mutual. You're my best friend and I couldn't be happier."  
  
The two friends looked at each other and smiled. Neither of them knew what to say, but neither of them felt like there was something to be said. They gazed at each other thinking their own thoughts and feeling a little bit better about everything. The moment turned awkward, though, and Lizzie finally stood up, "Well, I should probably try to get some sleep. I have to get up at eight to meet with a client at nine-thirty. Thanks for the coffee, Gordo."  
  
Gordo got up as well, "You're welcome. I should probably get some sleep, too. I have to work out some stuff for Monday in the lab."  
  
Lizzie grinned as she yawned, looking at Gordo, "It was nice talking to you. We should do this again sometime." She picked up her coffee from the floor and Gordo opened the door so they could get inside and waited for Lizzie to enter before he followed, closing the door behind him. They put their cups in the sink and walked to their rooms. Right before they separated, they turned and looked at each other one last time. "Good night," Gordo offered.  
  
"Goodnight," he said and they ended up giving each other a hug and as they hugged, Gordo closed his eyes. Having a small crush on your best friend is tough. Having a crush on your best friend who lives with you and doesn't have relationships is the worst…especially when there are times like these where there is a temptation to act on these feelings.  
  
But he didn't and they let go and went to their own rooms. Gordo leaned against his door once it closed and sighed. Maybe this living together idea would be harder than he thought. His old feelings for Lizzie were surfacing and seeing as that she was his first love and only real love, he knew that getting rid of these feelings would take a long time.  
  
As for Lizzie, she also felt a spark when she was with Gordo, and something happened that night on the balcony…it was bizarre in a way, but Lizzie hadn't felt this way in long time, and this said a lot. This would be a challenge, Lizzie figured, especially since she had a history with Gordo…the best history she shared with any guy, for that matter. She knew that this spark couldn't get to her, though, and would probably pass. Lizzie gave up romance for herself for a reason and this reason was good enough for her not to fall for anyone…not even a best friend.  
  
To be continued! 


	6. Another Night

A/N: It's the last week of school and I have exams. Not that I've been studying, but I figured I could use a break. Oh, and this story is already planned out, and this story is about to REALLY take off. I won't give anything away, but just be prepared.  
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Another Night  
  
The week passed busily as family came to town and everyone got used to their new living situations. Miranda and Michael were great roommates and Lizzie and Gordo seemed perfect as roommates. The week was busy, though, and everyone was doing their own thing, either with the wedding or with their work, but everything was well prepared.   
  
The night before the wedding was the wedding rehearsal. Everyone who was coming to the wedding from out of town was there and after the rehearsal, they had dinner and for some reason, Lizzie became really emotional during the dinner. She knew Miranda and Michael were going to have a great future together, and knowing that, she realized that she never experienced that with anyone and she would never experience that. She didn't make an issue of it, though, as this was Miranda's night to focus on. Her feelings would pass quickly enough.  
  
Gordo, however, did notice that something was up. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Miranda for being so happy and he figured that was what Lizzie was feeling. He didn't understand how Lizzie pulled off all these weddings without thinking of her own love life. He couldn't do it. This was only the fourth wedding he'd been to and this alone was getting to him. It also didn't help that Gordo had a crush on Lizzie.  
  
After dinner, wine was served and a few toasts were made to the happy couple that would be married the next day. After that, people left and Michael stayed with his parents at a hotel while Miranda would go back to their apartment.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo were the last to leave and although Lizzie was tired, she had to work on the speech she was going to give at the reception, so she stayed up to work on it. Gordo was also tired and was ready to go to bed when he saw Lizzie in the living room sitting on the couch and working on the speech. When he looked at her closer, he saw that she was crying. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. He sat next to her on the couch and handed her some tissues that were on the table near him.  
  
Lizzie sniffed, accepting a tissue, "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, and then she blew her nose, "I guess writing a speech about Miranda Is harder than I thought."  
  
"Need help?" he offered.  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "No, its my speech. It'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure I can't help? How far have you gotten?"  
  
Lizzie showed Gordo the three lines of writing she had on her paper. She laughed through her tears, "I've heard thousands of speeches and have even helped write some. I don't understand why this one is so hard for me."  
  
"Well, she is your best friend. This should be hard," he said. He didn't want to tell her of his suspicions because he knew it was a sensitive subject.  
  
"It's like I have so much to say, but I'm incapable of saying it. How do you wish someone the best of luck in love and happiness when you're never going to experience it yourself? It's the weirdest thing, but every sentence I try sounds like I'm jealous or sounds so dry. I can't say 'I hope one day to feel as closely as you two do about each other,' when that's a lie?"  
  
Gordo read what Lizzie wrote and it all sounded fine to him, "Lizzie, are you sure that's the real problem here?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie took another tissue, blew her nose and shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, I used to be so sure that I was never going to get married of love anyone ever again. I've worked with thousands of weddings and it's never really bothered me before, but all the sudden, I don't know."  
  
"Don't know what?"  
  
"I don't know what I think anymore. I mean, part of me is really jealous to see Miranda so happy and really wants that to happen to me someday and knowing that, writing this speech is so depressing. Everything I say about them I want to be said about me. Oh, God! I'm not making any sense, am I?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "Nope, makes perfect sense to me. I sort of felt the same way as I saw the rehearsal tonight."  
  
"Really?" Lizzie looked at Gordo as she calmed down.  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "I think so."  
  
"Oh, Gordo!" she said, "Your day will come one day. You'll find that special someone, date her, propose to her, marry her, and have kids with her," as she said this, the tears built up again.  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Yeah, well I could say the same thing about you," he looked over at her, grinning and their eyes met in a gaze. Then, out of nowhere, Gordo slowly leaned in and Lizzie did the same. Seconds later, their lips met and they shared a small kiss. When the kiss ended, they pulled back long enough to look at each other before sharing another kiss. In a moment of passion, they could tell that the other one wanted this to happen. The second kiss lasted longer and deepened into a long, passionate kiss. It was amazing and surreal at the same time. After less than a minute, however, Lizzie ended the kiss and pulled back and after looking briefly at Gordo, she stood up and took her paper and pen, "Um, it's getting late," she said, refusing to look at him.  
  
"Yeah," he said, a little disappointed, but feeling to weird to let the disappointment settle in.   
  
Lizzie walked to her bedroom door and yelled, "Goodnight!" once the door was closed. She then looked around her room walked forward a little, and dropped on her bed. She wanted to scream. What just happened with her and Gordo? How could she have let herself get caught up in a moment? She was mad at herself more than anyone.   
  
Gordo stood there for a minute, starring at Lizzie's door. He knew she wasn't coming out, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't explain that kiss, either. He didn't want that to happen, it just…happened and now…he felt weird. Whether or not he had a crush on her, he didn't want to act on it. He knew Lizzie didn't feel the same way and that kissing her just made things awkward. After a while, he walked to his own room, mentally yelling at himself for what just happened.  
  
It took a while, but Lizzie and Gordo finally fell asleep in their own rooms. They would deal with the next day as it came and focus on Miranda's big day.  
  
--  
  
The next day, Lizzie woke up early to deal with last minute preparations for Miranda's wedding. The wedding wasn't until six that evening, but Lizzie wanted to make sure she was out of Gordo's way so she would have to deal with an awkward confrontation.   
  
She went to her office and forced herself to finish it without getting too emotional. She finished it and typed it up and printed it up. She then went to Miranda's apartment because they had an appointment to get manicures and pedicures. She ate a bagel at the office and then went to go meet Miranda. She made a point not to mention Gordo and did this by focusing on Miranda's day.  
  
Big mistake. Miranda wanted to talk about the trip to Las Vegas that they were taking the next day. "Michael said he upgraded us to the honeymoon suite and you and Gordo will share the two bedroom suite the convention already provided us with. That's okay, right? I mean, you share an apartment and this is pretty much the same thing. I don't see a problem, do you?" Miranda asked.  
  
"No, of course not," Lizzie said, laughing nervously.   
  
"Good, because I didn't think you would, but you never know."  
  
"It's not a problem," Lizzie repeated.  
  
"Good!" Miranda said, "We'll be in Las Vegas for one night. The convention ends tomorrow afternoon and Michael and I have an early flight Monday morning to Paris. You'll fly back to LA later that afternoon. Michael and I will be back two weeks from today. This is so exciting!"  
  
Lizzie smiled at Miranda. At least someone was having a good day. She knew she couldn't avoid Gordo forever, but ever since last night, the idea was tempting.   
  
"So," Miranda said, grinning at her friend, "Do you think you'll gamble when we're there?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. What are you doing after the convention?"  
  
Miranda smiled, "Actually, Michael and I are going on a date. Michael managed to get two tickets to Cirque du Soleil. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Mind?" Lizzie repeated, "No way! I think it's sweet!"  
  
"Do you want me to see if we can get you tickets to any show?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "I appreciate the offer, Miranda, but I'll pass. I'll probably just hang around the hotel or go to a movie or something. I'll figure it out when I get there."  
  
"Okay," Miranda shrugged. Miranda was excited about today and Lizzie could tell. She was jumpy and anxious. Lizzie thought it was cute, though.  
  
After they finished with their nails, they went to lunch with their moms. After that, they went to go get their hair done and by four o'clock, all they needed to do was get dressed. Lizzie went off to the church to see how things were over there while Miranda went home to get a few things. She and Michael were spending their wedding night in the hotel where their reception was being held.   
  
Once that she saw that everything was fine, Lizzie went to get dressed and by the time she was dressed, Michael, his brother, and Gordo had arrived. Lizzie showed Michael and his brother to his dressing room and told Gordo, who was already dressed, to check for trash in the pews. She knew that there shouldn't be, but since he showed up an hour early, she gave him something to do so she could avoid him. Gordo could sense this when she told him to do this, but did so anyway, because he wasn't exactly up to converse with Lizzie then, either.  
  
Guests started arriving a few minutes later and it was then that the four ushers, including Gordo, started showing guests to their seats. Lizzie's coworker started taking Lizzie's place so Lizzie could be with Miranda. Miranda looked stunning in her off white, lacey wedding dress that went down over her feet. Her mother was doing her make-up and then her mom did Lizzie's make-up. Lizzie wasn't used to being so settled at one place at times like this, but knew she had to stay there.   
  
Finally, it was six. All the guests were there and sitting. Michael and his brother were with the minister waiting. A few minutes later, the organ started playing and people started coming down the aisle. Following Lizzie, the flower girl (Michael's niece) came out and then, finally Miranda with her father. The wedding march was played and once everyone was down the aisle, they turned to the minister.  
  
Watching Miranda, Lizzie cried for her friend. She was getting married and Lizzie was happy for her. Michael showed up which made him the most impressive man Lizzie ever knew. The vows were said and within minutes, Miranda was married. The ceremony was flawless and Lizzie was proud. After they kissed, Miranda and Michael ran up the aisle and after taking pictures, it was time to head off to the reception. Miranda and Michael were driven off in a limo and the rest of the wedding party and the families drove in a different limo.   
  
After more photo ops at the reception, it was time to party. Miranda and Michael seemed inseparable and Lizzie danced with a few people, like her father, her brother, Michael once, and even Miranda's father. Lizzie kind of wanted to dance with Gordo, because they were friends. She saw Gordo sanding off in the corner watching everything and felt bad. She sighed. This was Miranda's night. She couldn't let last night hand over her too long. She walked up to Gordo, "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey," he said back, "some party."  
  
Lizzie nodded, "Thank you," she smiled.  
  
"You're welcome," he said.  
  
"So…" she said, looking around, "Want to dance?"  
  
Gordo looked over at Lizzie, thoughtfully. He didn't want to say anything, but this was the last thing he expected, "Sure."  
  
Lizzie nodded and smiled as she led him to the dance floor. The DJ was playing a slow song, so they swayed with the music. Trying to think of something to talk about, Lizzie said, "You know what this feels like?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "No, what?"  
  
"Prom," she said.  
  
Gordo grinned. She didn't seem to be bothered by the night before anymore, "Yeah. It's hard to believe that that was almost ten years ago."  
  
"I know," Lizzie said. She looked over at Miranda and Michael and Miranda saw her and smiled. Lizzie smiled back. She then looked back at Gordo, "Time really does fly by. We'll be thirty before we know it."  
  
Gordo nodded, still grinning, "I know. It's hard to believe."  
  
Lizzie smiled and looked down and then back up to him, "Have you had a good day today?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "It was okay. Of course, it still hasn't hit me that Miranda is married. That'll take me a few months."  
  
"Yeah, and by then, something else will have happened," Lizzie said.  
  
Was it just Gordo or was Lizzie sort of flirting with him? Maybe that kiss really did mean something to Lizzie, after all. "Are you ready for your speech?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie nodded, "I think so. I finished it this morning," she said, thinking back to last night, before the kiss, "Thanks for helping me last night," she looked down. Maybe she should say something about the kiss, she thought, "Also, I'm sorry for just leaving last night."  
  
Gordo swallowed. Was she talking about what he thought she was talking about, "It's okay," he said, nervously, "I mean, I would have probably done the same thing."  
  
"I made a big deal out of nothing. Here we are, two adult friends who shared a small kiss last night. That's it. It wasn't a big deal and it'll never happen again."  
  
Gordo didn't know how to react to this. Here he was, pretty sure that Lizzie was going to tell him that she liked him or something, and she told him the kiss was no big deal. He nodded his head nervously, "Yeah, it'll never happen again."  
  
The song ended. Lizzie said that thinking that things would be less awkward between the two of them, but now she sensed that she'd just made things worse. She headed to hear table, wanting to sit down, but was interrupted. Michael asked her if she wanted to dance. Lizzie looked around for Miranda and finally spotted her. She was dancing with Gordo. Lizzie agreed to dance and they danced, but Lizzie still felt like something was hanging over her head.   
  
Maybe she shouldn't have said anything…or maybe she wasn't telling the truth.  
  
--  
  
To Be Continued! Please review! 


	7. Viva Las Vegas

A/N: It's summertime and school is over for a few months. Yay! Anyway, I'm going out of town today and won't be back until later this month. Unfortunately, I won't have access to a computer, so I won't be able to update. Anyway, I thought I would leave you with this chapter and I hope I don't leave you in too much suspense when this chapter is over. Enjoy and if you have the time, please review. Thank you for all the reviews so far!  
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Viva Las Vegas  
  
"Someone once told me that friends stuck together through thick, thin, good, and bad. Now, if any two people can attest this, it would be Miranda and me. Miranda has been my best friend ever since I can remember. We went to school together, we did homework together, we talked about boys together, we dated together, and went through almost everything together. I could stand her for hours and talk about Miranda's first kiss, first love, all of her embarrassing moments, and about a trillion other things come to mind, but the one that sticks out particularly tonight is the night she got engaged. Now, I'm a wedding planner, so I deal with couples and particularly brides all the time, but this time it was different. This is my best friend in the whole wide world getting married. As a friend, I honestly didn't know what to think. I was happy for her, jealous of Michael, jealous of her, and overcome with emotions. Not only is Miranda my best friend, but we also lived together for a long time. I didn't know if I was ready to give up my roommate. But I was. Miranda, Michael, you two most likely realize how lucky you are to have each other. I look forward to watching your marriage develop because you two share the greatest thing there is between two people, and that is love. Miranda, thank you for being my friend and while the single part of your life is officially closed, I can tell you now that this new chapter includes a lot of love, friendship, happiness, and whatever else you want because you deserve the best in life."  
  
--  
  
The next day, the four were at the airport waiting for their flight to be called for Las Vegas. Silence was the game that Lizzie and Gordo played the night before after the wedding. It was late when they got home, so they went straight to bed. They woke up, got packed and before they knew it were on their way to the airport. Today was different, though, because both Lizzie and Gordo acted like nothing major happened.  
  
Their flight was called and Miranda and Michael, because they were in first class, were called first and a few moments later, Lizzie and Gordo's seats were called. Lizzie, who spent some time thinking about this the night before, decided that she was making a big deal out of nothing and since she and Gordo were best friends, it wasn't worth the friendship to make something out of nothing. Gordo thought along similar lines thinking they were roommates and they'd have to live with each other anyway. They each had a small crush that lingered on the other one, but they would do their best to ignore them.  
  
The flight lasted a little over an hour and Lizzie decided to use that time for a short nap while Gordo read a few magazines. He was taking a day off from work for this trip and since he'd never been to Vegas, he had every intention of making the most of this experience, with drinks, gambling, and all the glitter and neon lights in between. He realized that he'd probably spend most his time with Lizzie, but he saw this as an opportunity. He had solutions to everything—He'd drink to forget the recent occurrences with Lizzie and gamble to stress over something else.  
  
The plane landed safely in Las Vegas and Miranda, Michael, Lizzie, and Gordo met up again and caught a Taxi to their hotel. Michael and Miranda were talking about something and Gordo, who ended up sitting in the front with the driver, was looking at all the things in the front seat. Lizzie was listening to Miranda and Michael, but saying nothing. It was funny how Miranda and Michael didn't suspect anything out of the silence. Fifteen minutes later, they were dropped off at the hotel and checking in. Miranda and Michael were on a different floor than Lizzie and Gordo because of their suite and they were led into their rooms with their luggage.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo came to their room and as Miranda told Lizzie, it contained two bedrooms, both of which were small. One had a full bed while the other had two twin beds. Lizzie put her stuff in the one with the twin beds, which left Gordo with the full bed. Lizzie walked into Gordo's room after putting her stuff in her own room and sat on the bed, determined to not let the past bother her. "So, are you hungry?"  
  
Gordo, who was checking out the dresser in his room, turned to Lizzie and shrugged, leaning against the dresser, "What do you want?"  
  
Lizzie looked thoughtful, "Well, normally, I'd recommend the hotel food, but since this food convention is going on, I have a feeling that we'd only be getting in the way. Also, I'm not sure if we should ask Michael and Miranda to come with us."  
  
Gordo tapped his fingers, "Well, how about we go out somewhere. I mean, its almost two o'clock. We probably should eat something."  
  
Lizzie stood up and headed for his door, "then what are we waiting for?"  
  
Gordo put his hotel key in his pocket and followed behind her, "We should probably call Miranda and Michael to tell them what we are doing."  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know if that's such a good idea. The convention is going on and I think they were going straight to that. Let's just go."  
  
"Okay," he said and they left their room and went down to the lobby and then out the front door. "What about that place right there?" he asked, pointing across the street. It was a burger place.  
  
"Okay."  
  
They walked across the street and went to the restaurant. They sat down and ordered. While they waited, Gordo started talking about all the things he wanted to do while they were in Vegas. "I don't really want to see a show, but I do want to do the other stuff, like gambling and maybe going to a bar."  
  
"Ooh, there's a great bar right in our hotel. It's right next to the casino."  
  
"What are Michael and Miranda going to go tonight?"  
  
"They are going to see Cirque du Soleil."  
  
"Oh, well, do you want to do anything?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Not really. I've been here before and unfortunately, this won't be my last time, so I've done enough."  
  
"Have you ever gambled?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "Once or twice."  
  
Gordo smirked, "You actually gambled?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head as if it were no big deal, "Of course."  
  
Gordo raised his eyebrow, "Did you win anything?"  
  
"Yeah, I won a little."  
  
"How much?"  
  
Lizzie grinned, "That is none of your business, Gordo. Besides, that was a long time ago."  
  
"Oh, come on. We're best friends. Can't you give me some sort of an idea?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh, all right. I won a couple thousand, okay?"  
  
Gordo's eyes widened in hearing this, "You won two thousand dollars? On what?"  
  
"Craps."  
  
"How much money did you put down?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't remember."  
  
"Lizzie..."  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "What? It was five dollars, okay?"  
  
Gordo blinked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You won two thousand dollars on a five dollar bet? Is that even possible?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Gordo, its no big deal, okay? It was beginners luck."  
  
"Psshhhh, beginners luck," he said, "I'm sticking to you all night. Maybe you can pass some of that luck to me."  
  
Lizzie shook her head and smiled. She wasn't uncomfortable with him anymore and that's why she was happy. This was going to work out. A kiss is just a kiss.  
  
After eating lunch, they went to the convention to check up on Michael and Miranda. They spent the next few hours at the convention before going back to their hotel room to get ready for the evening. Michael invited Lizzie and Gordo to come to dinner with them, but they turned him down, because Lizzie figured they would be better off alone.  
  
Instead, Lizzie and Gordo took showers and dressed in different clothes. The plan for them was to eat dinner, go to a casino, and then take it from there.  
  
Lizzie dressed in a blue halter-top and black pants while Gordo wore a white collared shirt and khaki pants. They left the room and took a taxi to a nearby restaurant recommended by the hotel. They enjoyed a light conversation and had a little wine with their meal. After that, they went to the casino at the Paris hotel and Gordo, not wanting to blow all his money at one place, exchanged a twenty for four fives. Lizzie decided against gambling. "Okay," he said, looking at the money, "You said you won big at craps? Anything else you aren't telling me?"  
  
"Gordo! Shut up!" Lizzie said, "If you want me to stick with you, you're going to have to shut up!"  
  
"Fine, fine, fine," he said, "okay, so where is this craps table?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe you should look around."  
  
Gordo did just that and they finally found what they were looking for. He handed the attendant a five and took the chip given to him. He put the chip down and took the two die. "Is this the game where you want a seven or an eleven?"  
  
"Yep," Lizzie said.  
  
The shook the die for a few seconds before dropping them to the table. Both die showed one. "Two!" Gordo said, excitedly, "What does that mean?"  
  
"You lose," Lizzie said, "You rolled snake eyes, so you loose everything."  
  
"What?? That's not fair! Come on, Lizzie, let's try something else!"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes and followed him to walk around the casino. After examining the whole room, he couldn't make up his mind. It was driving Lizzie crazy.  
  
"Will you just make up your mind already?" she asked, "You know, we could go somewhere else."  
  
"No!" he said, "I still have fifteen bucks!"  
  
Lizzie sighed, "Okay, well I'm going to go over there to the bar to get something to drink."  
  
"Oh, could you bring me a scotch?" he asked.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, annoyed. She was going to the bar to stay at the bar. She sighed and walked over the bar, "A scotch and a screwdriver, please?" she asked the bartender.  
  
A minute later, she had her drinks and she went off to find Gordo. She found him five minutes later at the slots. She walked up to him and handed him his drink, "Here. You owe me three bucks."  
  
Gordo reached into his pockets for more quarters, "Gordo? How long do you think this is going to take you?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "I don't know. I just exchanged the five dollars I had for quarters. It couldn't take too long."  
  
"Wait. I thought you had fifteen."  
  
"Yeah, well I tried black jack twice."  
  
Lizzie took a large sip of her drink and sat down at the empty slot machine next to him that an older lady had just left, "Here," she said, putting her drink down, "hand me a quarter." She put her hand out.  
  
Gordo rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed her a quarter. She put it in the slot machine and pulled the lever. She didn't win anything.  
  
"Ahh, so it was just beginners luck," he said, not looking away from his machine.  
  
"Oh, like you're doing any better!" Lizzie said. Lizzie held her drink and watched him as he obsessed over the machine. She just shook her head as she kept her straw near her mouth.  
  
Gordo finished shortly after that and they agreed to go to another casino. Lizzie didn't want to, but she didn't find any use in arguing, so they finished their drinks and went to another casino and once again, Gordo took out a twenty and exchanged it for four fives. "Okay, this time, I think I'm going to try something else. I don't know about everything, but I'm willing to give some things a try."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. Why even bother? She started following him and he turned to her and said, "Oh, Lizzie, are you going to go to the bar and get another drink?"  
  
"Do you want me to go to the bar?"  
  
Gordo smiled big and nodded, "If you could, that'd be great."  
  
Lizzie sighed, "Another scotch?"  
  
Gordo reached into his pocket, "Nah, make it a banana daiquiri." He handed her a ten and she left him.  
  
Lizzie walked up to the bar and to the counter and waited for the bartender. He finally came. Lizzie smiled, "I'll have a sangria and a banana daiquiri."  
  
"Sure thing," the bartender said, and a minute later, Lizzie had her sangria and daiquiri. She tried to find Gordo and finally found him at the roulette table. She handed him his daiquiri and stood next to him.  
  
"Are you playing?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "No, I'm watching."  
  
"Why aren't you playing?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Because I don't have any more money."  
  
Lizzie's eyes widened. What? I was gone for like ten minutes."  
  
"So?" Gordo drank the banana daiquiri.  
  
"How did you already blow it?"  
  
"Here," he said, pointing at the roulette table.  
  
Lizzie sighed, "Well are you ready to call it a night."  
  
"Not yet. We still have our own hotel."  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "But that's all, right?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, scratching his stomach, "what time is it?"  
  
"A little after ten."  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"The night is still young. Things could turn around. I'm not giving up yet."  
  
"Fine. But can we leave now?"  
  
Lizzie and Gordo finished their drinks and took a taxi to their hotel. "Would you like another drink?" Lizzie asked, feeling a little tipsy, but figuring another drink wouldn't hurt her.  
  
"Yeah, I'll have a screwdriver this time," he said, but then continued, "but keep it up there this time. This should only take a few minutes."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, Gordo said, pulling out a twenty and looking out at the casino, "I know exactly how I want to use this baby."  
  
Lizzie shrugged and then headed to the bar. She ordered two screwdrivers and then sat at a table, waiting for him. A few minutes later, she finished her drink and started flirting with the idea of taking his and just making him get himself another. However, Gordo appeared with a smile on his face and held up a few bills, "Whoa. You actually won?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Gordo sat down in the chair next to her and nodded his head, "I won two hundred."  
  
"Good for you!"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "It's not as good as two thousand, but it is something."  
  
"Wow!" Lizzie said, then she stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Lizzie pointed and giggled, "Well, I need another drink."  
  
"Wait!" he said, gulping down his drink as fast as he could, "Could you get me a double shot of whiskey?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "Coming right up, sir!" she said, walking to the bar. She almost tripped, but stopped herself. Gordo could tell she was drunk and he himself was starting to feel a little drunk himself. He didn't care, though. He intended on getting drunk, anyway. He blamed it on the atmosphere, though. All the neon lights were making him thirsty. Lizzie came back with the drinks and he downed them and went from feeling slightly drunk to a little more drunk almost immediately.  
  
Thirty minutes later, it was safe to say that both of them were hammered. Their conversation went from loving Las Vegas to random commentary.  
  
"So," Lizzie slurred, "This is fun, isn't it? We should do this more often!"  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Wonderful idea, Lizzie. Splendid!"  
  
Lizzie laughed, "You know, it's a good thing neither of us have to go to work tomorrow, or else that'd be bad."  
  
"You know, Lizzie, I'm not even tired. I'm not sure if I'm ready to call it a night."  
  
"Neither am I," Lizzie said. Less than an hour ago, she wouldn't have agreed, but now she was starting to see the light.  
  
Gordo looked at Lizzie and couldn't help by being infatuated by the beautiful woman, "Lizzie, has anyone ever told you that you are really beautiful?"  
  
--  
  
That's the last thing Gordo remembered when he woke up the next morning and found Lizzie with him in the bed. When he got out of bed and looked at the mirror, he noticed something on the bureau.  
  
It was a marriage license...uniting David Zephyr Gordon and Elizabeth Brooke McGuire.  
  
--  
  
A/N: Sorry about the ending, but I really have to go because I have to be at the airport in two hours. The next chapter will explain what happened, but I hope this is good enough to keep you wondering for now. I'm really sorry. I have to pack. 


	8. After All Is Said And Done

A/N: Whoa, what a nice response. I was worried because it ended so soon that I would get some complaints about it. I literally had to leave for the airport right when I posted that and my mom was getting pretty mad at me for spending so much time on the computer. Anyway, I'm back in commission temporarily, until I go out of town in mid July and I want to try and write another few chapters before that. This chapter explains what happened between the beautiful comment and Gordo waking up and then a little more.  
  
Also, as for the Friends thing, I got a little bit of inspiration from that, you have to get inspiration somewhere, right? This story doesn't copy anything beyond the drunken marriage and possible reactions, but only because I don't see the sober Lizzie and Gordo agreeing with the drunk Lizzie and Gordo on their judgements. I never saw the Simpson's episode.  
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
After All Is Said And Done  
  
-The Night Before-  
  
"Lizzie has anyone ever told you that you are really beautiful?"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes and smiled, looking at Gordo with an expression that was a mixture between surprise and flattery, "Not lately, actually."  
  
"Well..." he said, looking at her and finishing his drink, "You are."  
  
"Gee, thank," she said, giggling.  
  
"Thank?" he asked, laughing.  
  
Lizzie pointed at him and said, "You. Thank you, Davie Gordon. You know, I wish I wasn't so drunk. That way, I would actually know what I was saying. I haven't felt this way since...after getting over that slut, Carl," Lizzie smiled, "I had a lot of fun that night..."  
  
Gordo snorted out of his laughter, "Wow, can you imagine how miserable you'd be if you were married to that guy?"  
  
Lizzie now had a confused expression, "Or was it after Nathan?"  
  
"The thing about people like you and me, Lizzie, is that we are too smart for this relationship crap."  
  
Lizzie nodded her head and laughed, playing with the empty glass on the table, "That's right. Like, take Miranda and Michael...they are perfect-o for each other. I've seen couples that flatter each other and shit, but M and M have something a lot of people don't have, which is trust. I never had that."  
  
"You know you can trust me, Lizzie," Gordo said.  
  
"Pshhh, of course I can trust you. We are like best friends," she said, and then she burst out laughing again and she covered her mouth, "Remember that time we kissed?"  
  
"A few days ago?"  
  
Lizzie nodded her head, "You're a good kisser, too."  
  
Gordo stood up and looked down at Lizzie, with a sudden idea, "Hey, we trust each other! Why don't we marry each other?"  
  
Lizzie, through her drunkenness laughed, "Is that a proposal, Davie?"  
  
He nodded his head and Lizzie stood up, looked at him and smiled, "Okay, let's get married."  
  
"Okay! It's settled then! Let's get married tonight!"  
  
"Whoa, tonight? Isn't that a little too soon? Also, shouldn't we tell Miranda and Michael and our parents?"  
  
Gordo shook his head, "Hell no. Everyone needs a good surprise in their life sometimes. Come on, let's get married in that place we saw across the street!"  
  
"Okay," she said, then she stopped, "Wait, are we really going to do this?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "Why not?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged, too, "I don't know. I don't like weddings in Vegas. Besides, shouldn't we do this when we are sober?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Lizzie. I haven't had a girlfriend since high school and we are best friends."  
  
Lizzie smiled, "Okay, let's go, then."  
  
They walked out of the casino and left for the chapel and showed their licenses and gave their social security numbers and signed their names and thirty minutes later, they said their I do's and walked out of the chapel "Mr. and Mrs. David Gordon." And headed back to their hotel.  
  
Lizzie sighed as soon as they were back to their hotel, "Wow, I'm exhausted!" she said, "Let's go to bed!"  
  
"Okay," he said, yawning. They headed to the elevator and went up to their floor. As soon as the room's door was closed, Lizzie headed to her room, "Wait!" Gordo said, "Don't you want to come and sleep in the bed with me, Lizzie? I mean, we are married, now."  
  
Lizzie smiled as she took off her shirt, exposing her bra, "Sure. Whatever you say, honey. I'll be there in a minute. Let me just change into my pajamas."  
  
Gordo nodded his head, "Okay. I'll wait for you in my room."  
  
Gordo went to his room and two minutes later, Lizzie came in, wearing a t- shirt and pajama pants. Gordo slid over to make room for Lizzie in his bed. Lizzie lay down and the drunk newlyweds looked at each other, "Aren't you going to kiss me?" Lizzie asked, "This is, after all, our wedding night."  
  
Gordo yawned, "Of course," and he leaned in to give Lizzie a kiss, but before anything got too heated, both of them were sleeping like babies. Right before Lizzie fell asleep, she muttered, "Let's get married again tomorrow."  
  
"Okay, Lizzie."  
  
-  
  
THE NEXT MORNING  
  
As any normal person with a hangover, it took Gordo a few minutes to process what exactly was going on. He went into his bag to get two aspirin for his headache and he went into the bathroom and took the aspirin and started brushing his teeth. As he was brushing his teeth, though, he suddenly stopped and thought about the whole situation. Lizzie was in his bed and there was a marriage license in the room. He didn't remember anything that happened the night before leading to this. Quickly, he spit out the toothpaste and went to the bureau to get a closer look at this paper that appeared to be a marriage license. It looked authentic. It was sealed by the state of Nevada. He looked at Lizzie sleeping peacefully. Oh boy, he thought, she is not going to be thrilled at all about this when she wakes up. It then occurred to him that he wasn't making too much of a deal about this when he should, especially since he didn't want to marry Lizzie.  
  
He sighed, put the paper back on the bureau. It was a little past eleven. He went to Lizzie's room to try and see if Miranda and Michael were still there. Maybe Miranda would be a good person to be there for Lizzie. No one picked up, though. They checked out. He sighed. The headache was not helping.  
  
Gordo lay down and before he knew it, he fell back asleep...  
  
...Only to be woken up by a less than thrilled Lizzie as she hit him with a pillow and yelled, "GORDO! WAKE UP!"  
  
Gordo opened his eyes and rubbed them and looked at Lizzie. It took him a few seconds to process what was going on as Lizzie waved a piece of paper in front of him.  
  
Gordo took the paper from her hand, looked at it and sat up immediately. Oh yeah, he thought, he and Lizzie were married. Lizzie snatched the paper back from his hands and said, "What kind of joke is this?!"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "I honestly don't know," he said, "and I don't think it's a joke either."  
  
"Well," Lizzie said, with a disgusted look on her face as she looked at Gordo, "I don't want to be married to you! Whose idea was this, anyway?"  
  
Gordo shrugged, "I really don't know anything more than you, Lizzie."  
  
"How can you be so calm about this? Don't you realize that we are married. We are legally bonded for the rest of our lives."  
  
Gordo shrugged, "We can get a divorce, you know."  
  
"No way!" Lizzie said, "I can't get a divorce. I am a wedding planner. I plan weddings! I can't get married and get a divorce so soon..."Lizzie faced Gordo as if she had an idea, "What about an annulment?"  
  
"Um, okay," Gordo said.  
  
Lizzie sighed and shook her head, disgustedly, "This is why I hate weddings in Las Vegas. Annulment...divorce...clients are going to hear about this and think I am irrational and not dependable. People will compare me to the likes of...Britney Spears! God, Gordo! What possessed you to marry me?" Lizzie said in a fury.  
  
"We were drunk," he said.  
  
Lizzie looked him over up and down, "Gordo will you please get up so I can feel like we are talking about this. Marriage is, after all, about teamwork," Lizzie said, with a lot of sarcasm.  
  
"Fine!" Gordo said and he stood up. He realized that it was after noon and he wanted to get dressed for the day, "Listen, why don't we get ready for the day and get dressed so at least when we talk, we'll be clean!"  
  
Lizzie squinted her eyes, "Oh, Gordo, you are such a smart ass. It's a good thing you won that two hundred dollars last night because it should help you with the annulment!" Lizzie shoved the paper that united them in matrimony and left for the bathroom, slamming the door shut.  
  
"Oh yeah?" he yelled, "Well, guess what? I lied last night! I didn't win two hundred dollars last night. I didn't win shit, actually."  
  
No response. The water was running and Lizzie appeared, with a towel covering her nakedness. She held up her finger, obviously peeved and was inches away from his face, looked him over and to his shock and out of her anger, she spat at him, "I can't believe that you were my first love. You are hopeless, David Gordon. You are a lying, good for nothing obsessive- compulsive drunk. Go rot in hell," she said, storming back to the bathroom.  
  
As soon as the door was closed she leaned against it and started crying. She was frustrated with all of this, but knew, even before she woke him up that he wasn't the only person to blame for this. She needed someone to take out her aggression when she found that and had a sudden flashback of the night before and he was the closest thing. She didn't mean to insult him, it just came out. It was bad enough that she was married, but now she was taking it out on her best friend. What had she gotten herself into?  
  
Meanwhile, Gordo, taken aback by Lizzie's words, sat on the bed and covered his hands to his face. What had he gotten himself into?  
  
--  
  
A/N: Yeah, I'll try hard not to make the next chapter as fluffy as this chapter was...heehee. I'll try and update as soon as possible. If you have any ideas or suggestions, e-mail me at nightandday8yahoo.com . 


	9. The Simplest Solution

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I planned to update sooner, and I might not get a chance to give you another update before I go out of town, but here is this chapter. Thank you for the reviews.  
  
I do not own Lizzie McGuire.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
The Simplest Solution  
  
Lizzie wanted to go out there and apologize, but didn't know where to start, so after she took her shower, she left the bathroom wearing the hotel bathrobe. She noticed Gordo wasn't in her room anymore and noticed that his door was shut. She shut her door behind her and got dressed. She felt bad for the things she said, but didn't know what to do. She was angry, but she didn't know what to be angry with. She had so many unanswered questions and the only one who could understand her the most was Gordo. After she got dressed and put her make-up on and packed, she prepared for confrontation. She opened her door and noticed that Gordo's door was now open, but the bathroom door was now closed.  
  
Lizzie sighed. Accidents aside, she was now a married woman. She never thought she'd get married twenty-four hours ago. She opened their hotel room, curious to see what was going on and noticed a USA Today on the floor. She picked it up and went back into the hotel room, closing the door with her foot as she looked at the paper. She wasn't really reading it, as her mind was occupied with other thoughts as she bit her nails anticipating the next confrontation she would have with Gordo. Sure, she was calmer at this point, but that wasn't what she was worried about.  
  
Five minutes later, she heard the bathroom door open. She looked up from the paper and saw Gordo with a towel around his waist and another towel that he was drying his hair with. Lizzie looked back at the paper, desperate to come up with some sort of solution. It was hard. It was strange. She had a career in weddings and making sure everything was perfect. She hated weddings in Las Vegas!!! To get a divorce or an annulment so quickly, though, would make her a hypocrite. The thing that she had been trying to avoid for three years had happened...she was married. Thousands of thoughts ran through her mind as she thought about her image, her career, and her personal life. She had so many things to think about and sort out that she almost forgot about Gordo, who was someone she was trying to avoid and talk to at the same time.  
  
She had some major decisions to make because as easy as it would be to get an annulment or divorce, it was tempting—for her career, of course, to stay married. It was Gordo, after all. They dated in high school and they were good friends. That was stubborn, though.  
  
Before she could get too tied up in her thoughts, Gordo appeared, dressed and with his suitcase. He lightly knocked on the opened door and spoke up, "Um, we should probably go. Our flight leaves in about three hours and we need to check out."  
  
Lizzie put down the paper and got up from her bed, reaching for her already packed suitcase, "I'm ready."  
  
Twenty minutes later, they were checked out and in a taxi on their way to the airport. They rode in silence and when they arrived at the airport, there was more silence to come as they checked in their bags and waited for their flight. It was awkward and Gordo could tell that Lizzie was not speaking, and therefore contemplating the situation. This was the worst hangover either of them had ever had. Their flight was called and they sat next to each other. Lizzie really wanted to talk this out, but not with Gordo. She couldn't call Miranda because she didn't want to ruin their honeymoon. Besides, she didn't know their number. There was always her mom, but that seemed awkward. She seemed to have only herself to discuss this all with and since she started work tomorrow, she had to think quickly.  
  
Gordo was thinking about the situation as well. After Lizzie yelled at him and basically called him worthless he couldn't help but think that this would ultimately be the end of his friendship with Lizzie. Just when he thought he was getting back into the swing of things and happy with his life, this happened and he didn't know what to do. This didn't feel like a marriage he was dealing with. It felt like a friendship. Lizzie's comments hurt his feelings even though he knew she was angry. He looked out the window of the airplane and gazed over his future. Sure, he had a crush on Lizzie, but the last thing on his mind was marriage. That kiss the other night was stressful enough and here he now had a wife. Somehow the two instances barely seemed to compare to each other.  
  
After thinking about it a little more, Lizzie realized that she should probably leave Gordo's house for the time being until everything was settled. She figured it was for the best at least for that night as she completely thought of everything and could talk to Gordo about it tomorrow. She still had her old apartment key and decided she really probably could use the alone time. She knew that Miranda would understand. She would cancel all the appointments she had the next day to talk with this to Gordo. She still hadn't apologized. She didn't feel like apologizing until they talked.  
  
When the plane landed and they got off, it was at the baggage claim that they finally spoke. Once they both had their bags, Lizzie turned to Gordo and said, "Listen Gordo, I am going to go over to Miranda's for tonight. I'll come over tomorrow so we can discuss everything. What time do you get off work?"  
  
"Uh, I can get off at around noon. Listen, when I get home, I'll call my parents and they can give me some names of divorce lawyers."  
  
Lizzie sighed and shook her head, "Gordo, don't do that."  
  
"No, I was thinking about it on the plane and they don't have to know that it is for us. I'll just tell them its for a friend," he said, then he laughed to himself, "It's not like they'd think it was for me, anyway."  
  
Lizzie shook her head, "No, Gordo. Please let's just wait until after we talk. For tonight, let's just think about it all and put it into perspective."  
  
Gordo blinked. He thought she'd be thrilled to hear him talking about divorce. He nodded his head and said, "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow at ...our apartment?" I was almost like the word, "our" now had a completely different meaning.  
  
Lizzie nodded, "I'll be there at around one." Lizzie turned around and headed toward the exit of the airport, where she called for a taxi to take her to her old apartment. She didn't know why, but as she was driven there, she started crying. She wiped her eyes, but that didn't help much. It was weird because she didn't feel emotional before, but after she talked to Gordo, she felt sad.  
  
She arrived at the apartment, paid the taxi driver and walked up to her old apartment. It felt weird, even though she lived there less than two weeks ago. She found the key in her purse and opened the door. The place hadn't changed much. They decided that Lizzie's room would eventually become a guestroom, but hadn't really moved anything around. Lizzie grabbed some sheets from the closet and made up her bed, even though it was hardly dinnertime. Lizzie hadn't eaten all day, so she ordered some Chinese for delivery and sat on the sofa in the living room, watching TV, trying to forget, for just a few moments, that she was married to her best friend. She always thought that it was pretty bad that she was a wedding planner and didn't plan on getting married, but this whole accidental marriage stood against everything she thought about marriages before.  
  
After watching TV for a few hours, eating, and canceling all of her appointments for the next day, except for two in the morning, she decided to go to bed and try and get some sleep. It was difficult because she had a lot on her mind, but she finally fell asleep, still with no idea of what she was going to do with this marriage.  
  
Gordo got to his apartment and it felt really empty. He'd gotten so used to Lizzie's presence that it was almost too quiet. He put his stuff up in his room and emptied his pockets. He found the marriage license and gave it one last look before putting it on his dresser. He was both hungry and tired, so he ate some leftovers and went to bed almost immediately. It wasn't like he didn't care about the situation, as much as he didn't know what else there was to think about. Lizzie said that they would talk about it tomorrow and after they talked, then he would think. They only had so many options: divorce, annulment, or to stay married. Staying married probably wouldn't work out, particularly due to Lizzie and what she said earlier. Both divorce and annulment had their own complications and Gordo wasn't really sure he knew the exact benefits of annulment in the first place.  
  
Gordo was a married man for now and yet he and his wife were barely speaking to each other. Back in high school and when Lizzie and Gordo loved each other and they had a on to think about their future together, Gordo always imagined a simplistic, yet large wedding. He wanted to incorporate a few Jewish traditions, like stomping on the glass, and he knew that he would live happily ever after. He never told Lizzie this and after they broke up, he sort of forgot about it, but he suddenly remembered it on the plane ride home and it sort of upset him to realize that nothing about their wedding was like he wanted it. The idea was over a decade old and now it would never come to life. That was just another disappointment of this day that Gordo would always remember.  
  
-  
  
The next day, both Lizzie and Gordo went to work separately and obviously, thought about how this day would go in terms of what they would agree to. Lizzie had two appointments that morning and had to do a little work around her office with some other people's weddings. The first couple seemed so happy and into each other and Lizzie noticed this and it somehow made her depressed. The next appointment was one with a woman who Lizzie had never met. It was going pretty well until the woman got a little curious and asked Lizzie a few questions and got a little too personal for Lizzie on that particular day.  
  
"What about you? Are you married?" the woman asked.  
  
The one question Lizzie didn't want to answer, "Um, not really...no I'm not married."  
  
The woman seemed a little confused at Lizzie's comment, "What do you mean? Did you just get a divorce or something?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. She didn't really want to talk about this with a complete stranger, but couldn't come up with anything else to say, "No, it's a little more complicated than that. A few years ago I was left at the altar."  
  
"Oh. So you were never really married?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. She hated feeling like she was lying.  
  
"Do you have a boyfriend?"  
  
"Well, I guess you could say I'm sort of in a serious relationship with someone right now."  
  
Again, the woman was a little confused with Lizzie's answer, "What? Is it long distance or something?"  
  
Lizzie, who got these questions almost everyday before, suddenly felt like she was being interrogated. She was usually so frank and honest with her clients with what they wanted to know, but she didn't really know how to be honest, "I guess," she paused, trying to think of how to word this, "the relationship is having a little trouble right now."  
  
"Oh," the woman said, "I'm sorry I brought it up."  
  
"It's okay," Lizzie said.  
  
"Well, I hope everything will work out between you two."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Lizzie said.  
  
The woman eventually left and so did Lizzie shortly after that. That conversation was exactly what Lizzie was thinking about the day before with her career and everything. The truth was that she was married and she was probably going to terminate the marriage, but that conversation, as quaint and innocent as it was, almost made Lizzie, for the sake of her career, want to stay married. It was stubborn, but for the first time, Lizzie thought of what it would be like to be married to Gordo and it really didn't seem too bad. It didn't have to be any different than their current situation, actually.  
  
Lizzie picked up some lunch and headed for her apartment to meet up with Gordo. Gordo was already there when Lizzie came home and before Gordo could say anything, Lizzie spoke up.  
  
"Gordo, what would you say if I suggested that we still stay married?" Lizzie asked.

-

To Be Continued!


	10. Strange Concepts

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating any sooner with this chapter. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. I keep waiting for someone to write, "This is the dumbest thing ever. This is so unrealistic and I hate it." But hey, I'm not complaining about the reviews at all. You guys are the best!!

I do not own Lizzie McGuire

Chapter Nine

Strange Concepts

Right at Lizzie said it, she knew there would be questions, and she didn't really expect Gordo to jump on the idea and say, "Hey, Liz. That's a great idea. Let's just stay married for the rest of our lives and hey, I can live without sex for the next sixty or so years of my life. You said recently that 'sex is very important for a relationship to work,' but what ever. You did just stupidly get married in Vegas," (well at least he wouldn't say that seriously, anyway) but she was determined at this point to make this work without involving the big D word.

After taking what Lizzie just said in and trying to say something, all Gordo could say was, "What?!"

Lizzie walked further into the apartment and invited herself to sit down on the sofa. Gordo didn't move at all from where he was standing, "Gordo, listen, I know I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said yesterday and I know that our relationship before last night was a little foggy and I know that our getting married was a mistake, but hear me out, okay?"

"I'm...listening," Gordo said, bringing himself to sit down on the chair opposite the sofa.

Lizzie took in a deep breath and leaned in a little closer to Gordo, "I'm going to sound really selfish here, but I really need this favor. This marriage doesn't have to last forever and I'm not asking you to love me, but if we could only stay married for maybe a year or two, I think my career might still have hope."

Gordo felt a little uneasy about the idea, "Lizzie..." he started.

"We're friends. We'll live together and continue our friendship and get a break on our taxes."

Gordo couldn't help but feeling a little hurt by all of this. This had nothing to do with love and that's how he envisioned marraige to be...about love. "What will we tell our parents? What about Miranda?" Gordo asked.

"That's the thing...we don't have to tell them anything," Lizzie said, but as she said it, she realized that maybe this idea needed more tuning up.

"Then what's the point of staying married if we're the only ones that know the difference?"

Lizzie thought about what Gordo said. She knew that she had to tell her parents and Miranda in order to get used to the idea in her career. "Okay, so we're going to have to tell them. In truth, we have to tell a lot of people and give the illusion that we are happily married and love each other madly."

Gordo crossed his arms, not knowing what to think, "Well, why?"

"Because," Lizzie said, close to tears, "It's one thing to be married for a few years and then divorce, but its another to do all that and then have everyone find out that we were secretly married. Its possible to keep a marriage a secret, but its impossible to keep a divorce a secret, especially since certain people are waiting for me to mess up."

"Like who?"

"Well, older people in the business, for one. The coordinators who are married, have 2.3 kids and wonder why I'm their competition. I'm not famous, but people have ways of finding out about the irony in my life, and it will get out. Wedding planners are supposed to appear organized and together with their lives," Lizzie sighed, realized that this was a lose-lose situation, "Gordo, This is hopeless. Maybe we should get this divorce now. Let's get it over with."

Gordo took a huge breath in and then let it out. He was speechless and had no idea what to think about all of this. He didn't want to be married to someone he knew would never really love him, but after hearing what Lizzie had to say, he realized just how distressed Lizzie really was about all of this. "Lizzie," he said, looking her straight in the eye, "Do you really want to stay married with me?"

Lizzie, a little taken back, for she was expecting him to say something else, nodded her head and sighed, "Yeah, I really do. I love my career."

Gordo leaned back in to his chair to relax and think about this a little longer, "What about sex?"

"What about it?" Lizzie asked.

"Well," he said, "We're married. We're supposed to be having sex."

Lizzie got a weird look on her face, not knowing how to respond to that, "Gordo...we're friends. I don't think I'm comfortable in engaging in sexual activity with you."

Gordo grinned, "Lizzie, I was joking. As far as I'm concerned, that part of the honeymoon never happened and don't worry, it never will happen."

Lizzie sighed of relief, "So we're really going to do this? Stay married?"

Gordo nodded his head, "Yep. You love your job and I don't want you to lose your job and besides, we're best friends. Nothing can ruin our friendship...not even alcohol."

Lizzie smiled, "Thanks, Gordo."

Gordo stood up and sat next to Lizzie on the sofa, "Just one more thing we have to do to make this official."

"Oh," Lizzie said, reaching in her pocket and presenting two rings, a smaller one with a diamond for Lizzie and a simple white gold one for Gordo, "I got these before I came over just in case."

Gordo, seemingly amused by the gesture, laughed a little and took the smaller one from her hand, "Gordo, that's not yours," Lizzie started to say, but then she realized what he was doing. Gordo took Lizzie's left hand and slid the ring on her ring finger. Lizzie couldn't help but smile as she took his hand and slid the ring on his finger. They looked into each other's eyes, as a tear rolled down Lizzie's cheek, "You didn't have to do that," she said.

"Well," Gordo said, "We might not have had a traditional wedding, but I wanted to say I did something right."

Lizzie smiled, "Well, I'm glad you did," she said, then she wiped her tears off her face.

"However, that's not really what I meant when I said there was only one more thing to do," he said, "I'm afraid that we're going to have to call our parents and tell them," he said, pausing for a second before he added, "Mrs. Gordon."

What were they getting into?

To Be Continued!!!!


	11. Normality

A/N: I don't really have anything to say except thank you to the people who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this update.

I don't own Lizzie McGuire

Chapter Ten

Normality

Lizzie bit her lip as she thought about what to tell her parents. Should she lie and pretend that she and Gordo were madly in love with each other or tell them the truth and hope that they would be okay with it? She didn't like lying, but she wasn't too proud of the truth, either. "Maybe," she said, trying to think this through, "maybe we should tell them we are engaged and start planning a real wedding," but then after hearing it she said, "No, that's just a little too Seventh Heaven for me."

"Yeah, possibly," Gordo said, also trying to imagine his parents response. He wasn't afraid that they would disapprove of Lizzie, as much as they would probably approve a little too much of the nuptials, which would just be awkward and potentially embarrassing.

Lizzie sighed, "I am never drinking EVER again. This is just too stressful of an outcome."

Gordo nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, this is a little too much."

"Okay, how does this sound," Lizzie said as she thought of something to say, "We tell them the version of the truth that they want to hear."

Gordo raised his eyebrow, "How does that work?"

"Okay," Lizzie said, "Say...we invite all of our parents to dinner."

"...Okay..."

"And then we say something like, 'Mom, dad, we have something to tell you that we think you ought to know. Things have changed quite a bit since we moved in together. The other day, when we were in Vegas, we decided that since we were there, we should take advantage of this time and we go married.'"

Gordo thought about what Lizzie just said, "Yeah, but don't you think that sounds a little too dramatic?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Well...no, but that makes it sound so glorified or something."

"Well, it's the truth. We can tell Miranda the entire truth, but this is our parents we are dealing with. You are your parents' only son and I am my parents' only daughter. Our parents have dreamt what our wedding would be like since the day we were born. They'll already be disappointed that they weren't there for it all. The last thing they need to know was that it was all a drunken mistake."

Gordo shrugged, "Whatever. If you say so."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Gordo, we have to make it sound like we are really in love with our parents. Who knows? Maybe they will offer to pay for a real wedding."

"Lizzie...I'm not sure how much more 'real' this marriage could be."

Lizzie shook her head, "No, I mean one that would cover up the original one. I hate Las Vegas weddings. I don't want to be a hypocrite when it comes to my work."

Gordo shrugged. He didn't feel like having another useless argument, "Okay, whatever. I just don't want to spend a lot of money on a wedding that's not really supposed to happen. I mean, assuming things don't work out, getting a divorce is really expensive."

"Gordo, we got married two days ago. I mean, I know we'll probably get a divorce eventually, but why worry about that now when there are so many other things to worry about...like how we tell our parents, friends, and coworkers."

Gordo sighed. He'd already had enough of this marriage stuff for one day, and he didn't mean what he said to come out like that. It was the first thing he could think about for defense.

"Okay, well, why don't we invite our parents to dinner tomorrow night and then we can tell them," Lizzie said, making this sound like some project.

"Okay, fine," Gordo said, "And we'll tell them like you suggested...not giving them every detail."

"And if they ask really weird questions, as I know my parents will do, we'll answer them the best we can. We have to make it sound like we are in love with each other and avoid the entire truth."

"Sounds good to me," Gordo said, standing up and heading towards his room, "Are we finished here or do we need to talk about anything else?"

"Well...no," Lizzie said, "I guess we don't have anything else to talk about."

"Okay, well I'm going to take a nap," Gordo said as he yawned, "I'll see you later."

"See you," Lizzie said. Lizzie stayed where she was. She felt like doing something, but didn't know what to do. She knew she had to go back to Miranda's place to pick up some things, but she didn't feel like getting up. She wanted to call her parents so they could go ahead and set up a dinner before she changed her mind. She lived about an hour away from her parents these days. Her parents moved into a smaller house after Matt graduated from high school. So did the Gordon's. Lizzie, however, moved closer to the city for her work. It happened to work out that so did Miranda and eventually Gordo.

A few minutes later, Lizzie finally stood up and went to her room. It was so awkward, knowing that she was actually married. It was awkward because she'd stopped imagining what it would be like to be married years earlier and now that she was married, she didn't really feel any different.

"So," Lizzie said to herself as she plopped down on her bed, "This is my life. I am Lizzie Gordon...not to be mistaken with Lizzie Borden. My name is Mrs. David Gordon. My full name is Elizabeth McGuire Gordon. My monogram is EMG. My...husband's name is David Gordon. We are the Gordon's. Lizzie and Gor...David Gordon..."

Lizzie was playing around with her new name as she lay on the bed and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. Maybe she was tired after all. The next thing she knew she she felt some light shaking and a voice say, "Lizzie, its almost eight o'clock," in a light whisper. It was Gordo, of course.

Slowly, Lizzie opened her eyes and saw that Gordo was sitting on the edge of her bed looking at her and waiting for her. She yawned, trying to figure out what was going on, "Yeah, so?" She slowly sat up.

"I was thinking we could go get some dinner or something. I don't know about you, but I am really hungry. I haven't eaten a full meal since, well, the night we got married."

"Gordo, that was two nights ago. Are you trying to tell me that you haven't eaten a real meal in two days?"

Gordo looked around. What was he supposed to say? "Well, yeah," he finally said, "I figured since you didn't really want us to be married I would starve myself and die for you and..."

Gordo was interrupted by Lizzie hitting him with a pillow. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go blame it on me, poor Lizzie McGuire...Excuse me... Lizzie 'Gordon'."

Gordo laughed. At least now they were beginning to see the humor of all of this, "Hey. That is a good name. You should be honored to be considered part of the 'Gordon' clan."

"Yeah, well," Lizzie said, hitting him with a pillow again, "You should be so lucky to now have a brother-in-law such as Matt."

"Ugh," Gordo said, making a face, "What a horrible thought."

Lizzie hit him again, "Hey! That's my brother you are talking about!"

Gordo shielded himself and stood up from the edge of the bed, in case Lizzie was going to hit him again, "Hey! Will you stop it with the violence, already? You don't see me reaching for a pillow!" He slowly sat back down on the edge.

Lizzie giggled, "Sorry, Gordo. I'll call a truce."

"Thanks. Now, do you want to go out for dinner, order in, or see what we have?"

"Let's stay in," Lizzie said, "I mean, I'm already practically ready for bed and I don't really feel like getting dressed and going out."

"Okay. I think we might have a pizza in the Freezer."

"Okay," Lizzie said.

Gordo stayed there for a minute, trying to figure out if this was real. Right now, it seemed as if things were going to be okay between them, after all. Gordo stood up slowly, "Well, I guess I'll go preheat the oven."

Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, okay. I'll see you there in a minute."

Gordo disappeared into the kitchen and Lizzie sighed before removing her covers and getting up. She quickly put on some pajama pants and a t-shirt before checking on Gordo, "Need any help?" she asked, as she saw Gordo look at the back of the Frozen pizza box.

Gordo looked up, "Whoa," he said, "were you wearing that a minute ago?"

"Nope," Lizzie said as she lifted herself up to sit on the kitchen counter, "So, about tomorrow," she started, "What are you going to tell the people you work with?"

Gordo laughed to himself, "Are you kidding? I barely know these guys. I haven't even thought about telling them anything."

"So are you going to tell them?"

Gordo shrugged, "Maybe. Are you going to tell the people you work with?"

Lizzie nodded, "Well, I'm going to tell them we are engaged. If worse comes to worse, I can say that it is going to be a private ceremony and take a two week vacation. But, I have to tell them at least that I am involved with someone. That way, when there are parties, you and I can show up and they will know who we are."

"Oh," Gordo nodded.

"But tomorrow, we definitely have to tell our parents the truth. I can't stand feeling like I am keeping some sort of secret."

"Yeah, okay," Gordo said.

Lizzie took an apple that was next to her and took a bite. She didn't mean to start up a conversation about this again, and now that she knew what she wanted to know, she figured she could talk about something else, "So, what do you think Miranda is doing right now?"

"What do you think she's doing?" Gordo asked, raising her eyebrow, "I mean, she is on her honeymoon."

Lizzie shrugged, as she inspected her apple, "Yeah, well, I could say the same about us."

Gordo paused. He wasn't sure about how to respond to that. He rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what she meant by that. "Lizzie..." he finally said.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind," Gordo said, waving it off.

"Gordo," Lizzie said, almost laughing, realizing why he was acting a little strange, "I didn't mean that I wanted to have wild and passionate sex with you for the next two weeks," Lizzie said and Gordo blushed, "All I'm saying is that we got married after them and we aren't doing anything. They might have visited the Eiffel Tower or some museum yesterday. I mean, sure, our situation is different but, like, back when I was getting married to that bastard dentist, Carl, and we were planning our honeymoon in Greece, we planned to get out there and explore where we were."

Gordo shrugged, "Well, I don't know. They are probably sleeping right now, as it is five in the morning in Paris, but all I was saying is that they are only going to have one honeymoon that they have to remember for the rest of their life. They can always go to Paris again."

Lizzie shook her head, but kept her mouth shut. The oven indicated that it was preheated and Gordo reached for the pizza and placed it in the oven and set the timer, "Okay," he said, "Dinner should be ready in about twelve minutes. What do you want to do until then?"

Lizzie shrugged, got down from the counter and threw the remainder of her apple away and washed her hands in the sink and dried them off with her pajama bottoms, "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I don't care. Do you want to turn on the TV and see what's on?"

"Okay," Lizzie said, as she led the way to the living room. Both of them sat on the couch and Gordo reached for the remote, turned the TV on and started flipping the channels. Three minutes later, they finally agreed to watching a VH1 special.

When the pizza was ready, they got up, turned the oven off and brought the pizza into the living room. After dinner was over and it was almost nine o'clock, Lizzie asked for the remote, but Gordo wouldn't give it to her.

"Gordo, please!" Lizzie said, "ABC is showing a special on weddings. One of my clients asked me to watch it."

"Then go to your room and watch it."

"I haven't set up my TV yet."

"Then go to my room."

"No, YOU go to your room."

"No, I was here first."

"What do you have to watch, anyway?" Lizzie asked.

Gordo changed the channel to the Science channel, where they were showing the beginning of a documentary that appeared to be about something Lizzie had no interest in, "Gordo, please!" she said, trying to reach for the remote, but he wasn't letting her.

She wasn't being too serious in her attempt and neither was Gordo. Both of them were sort of laughing as Lizzie went as far as to climb on top of Gordo for better reach, "I need to watch this!"

"Does your life depend on it?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Gordo, I will kick you in the balls," she said, giggling, as Gordo inched his way to the end of the couch and Lizzie followed.

"You wouldn't dare!" Gordo stood up and so did Lizzie as Gordo still wouldn't hand Lizzie over the remote. He was having way too much fun with this game that they were playing.

"Gordo!" Lizzie whined, "We're supposed to be friends!"

"So?" Gordo said, "You can go to my room."

Lizzie sighed, "Fine. I'll go to your room."

"You will?" Gordo asked, relaxing his arms by putting them down.

Lizzie put on her sad face and slowly started to nod her head, but reached and successfully grabbed the remote from Gordo instead, "No way. Go to your own room!" Lizzie said as she changed the channel.

"Hey! That wasn't fair!" he said as he tried to reach for the remote. But she stepped onto the couch, so it would be harder for him...except he stepped onto the couch as well. To defend herself, Lizzie fell onto the couch and Gordo fell on top of her.

Both of them out of breath, the paused, "Pretty please?" Lizzie pouted.

Gordo, who was leaning on top of her, looked at her. Yeah, he still had it bad for her. "Fine," he said, as he continued to look at her. At this point, Lizzie was looking back at him and she wondered what was happening.

For a second, Gordo was tempted to try to kiss her, but that was until Lizzie said, "Gordo, get off of me."

Gordo got off of her and they were back to sitting next to each other again, "Whew," Lizzie said, putting her hair behind her ears and trying to make her self comfortable, "for a minute there, I thought we were back in high school."

"Heh," Gordo said, as he looked into the screen. He didn't feel like talking anymore. That was the second time in a week that he thought they shared some type of romantic moment. So far, Lizzie had ruined both of those moments for him.

He still loved her, though.

To Be Continued!


End file.
